FINA has published a press release that contradicts statements made by Russian sports lawyer Atyom Patsev to Russian state-run media TASS on Tuesday stating that FINA had confirmed the participation of Vladimir Morozovb and Nikita Lobintsev for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
- To track all developments in the McLaren report saga, click here.
Despite other similar comments by Russian government officials that FINA would make a ruling on the matter outside of the guidance of the IOC that both athletes should be barred after being named in the McLaren IP report, FINA says that any further rulings on the two swimmers’ eligibility would be made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the IOC three-member ad hoc committee set up to decide on these matters.
Lobintsev and Morozov have both appealed their cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and were the first to officially do so at the court set up in Rio de Janeiro.
Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, who was also pulled from the Olympics for other doping-related offenses, has also appealed to the CAS.
The full FINA press release is below:
Contrary to recent media reports, the eligibility of Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev to compete at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 has not been confirmed, and will not be confirmed until the IOC’s three-person commission to review Russian entrants renders its final decision on these athletes, along with the other members of the Russian swimming team.
The FINA Bureau initially did not include Morozov and Lobintsev on the list of eligible competitors, in respect of the IOC’s ruling that nobody implicated in the WADA IP Report may be accredited for entry in the Olympic Games. Both athletes were named in the WADA IP Report.
The two athletes filled an appeal to CAS and FINA understands that this Court has forwarded the case to the IOC three-person commission for final decision.
FINA would like to make it absolutely clear that the International Federation is totally opposed to doping of any form in sport. FINA’s commitment to anti-doping is underlined by the 2,177 unannounced out-of-competition tests it has conducted on Olympic Games-bound athletes between January and the end of July 2016. The total investment for all anti-doping tests conducted during this period amounts to approximately USD 1,800,000.
FINA also took the decision to retest all Russian samples from athletes going to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games that were collected at the latest 15th FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, 2015. These samples, retested at the Barcelona laboratory, where they have been stored, returned no adverse findings.
So am I right in thinking that the CAS has referred the final decision regarding Morozov and Lobintsev’s case to the IOC’s panel? And that the IOC’s decision has been preemptively endorsed by the CAS, which will make it final? I think that is what i’m getting from this…..
As a swimmer, who has gone to WCs, made Aus Open finals and won medals at Australian Open nationals, the chance for them to swim at the Olympics is a disgrace to anyone who has or has not qualified to represent their country at the Olympics.
They removed super suits because of their unfairness yet they may contradict these values by allowing those who have cheated to represent their country at the Olympics. I love swimming, with all my heart, yet I find myself questioning why I would want to partake in a sport which allows things like this to occur.
To all the Aussies, good luck beating the drug cheats. You will need it
This is the messiest series of events that has ever been conducted by any organization(s) in the history of everything ever.
Unless you’ve tried dealing with USA Swimming. At least these organizations are holding hearings and not making the athletes wait 10 months for a hearing, another 15 months for a rehearing and then another 8 months for a NBR ruling – a whopping 35 month process with no relief for the victim.
More like a 3 person boxing match: IOC vs NBC vs USSR & the Brazilian population.
Also there will be sports.
You should be careful, you don’t want to defame the circus.
Haha what game are we playing?
Seriously, at this point this song should just auto-play when ya open any of these posts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ
HEY GUYS WANNA HEAR ABOUT SWIMMING? I HEARD SOME TIMES FROM USA TRAINING CAMP TIME TRIALS
Go I was annoyed the official times didn’t come out.
Me too. Murphy swam a 51.9 100 back and even had a bad start.
Wait how do you know about murphys times?
Didn’t hear about 100 back. AW 24.0 50 free with breaths out the wazoo (7). RM 150 back 26.1, 28.4, 28.7 (1:23). Prenot 150 breast 29 mid 32 low 32 low (1:34). Thats all I saw. All hand times from pristine HD video.
Guys Murph looked so easy i can’t even… And Prenots breast is prefect technique, a spectacle. AW swims free like a dude and its so sick
Are the videos online?
I think AW is gonna surprise some people. This is the strongest she’s ever been physically/mentally… It’s gonna be fun to watch! USA USA USA.
Is there anywhere we can watch the time trials?