Russia has to be hit where it hurts and that is eliminating any chance they have anybody on the podium for the next Olympic cycle, if not longer.
The World Anti-Doping Agency’s report that the state-sponsored drug conspiracy covered over 1,000 athletes and over 30 sports.
The conspiracy includes gold medalists from the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where the corruption was at its worst.
Scandals like this make everyone look bad. It raises questions about all athletes when you hear how far and wide the cheaters were spread just in one country.
But when it comes to Russia, I may never be able to look at a Russian athlete on a podium and not immediately think the person standing there is dirty and taking the spot of another athlete who did it the right way.
Take other international events from them as well, to hurt Vlad Putin in the wallet, sure, but Russia did all this to win medals, so it’s time to take away their chance to win.
Sorry to those Russian athletes that may be clean, but I’m sure those are few and far between.