Her case, which is still under investigation, was traced by her team to drinking from a glass of water contaminated with her grandfather’s heart medication. A drug, however, that had enjoyed enormous popularity among Russian athletes years before. Though probably none of them had to take it for medical reasons.
At the request of the ARD, the IPC now only announced that it was still “some open cases regarding Russian athletes” give, and added: “Because these are open and very complex cases, we cannot disclose the identity of the athletes in question.”
“Fear and hesitation” are to blame for the non-prosecution of the cases
Rodchenkov, who remains under witness protection in North America, is not impressed. The Russian believes a 2018 ruling by the World Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) stopped the IPC from pursuing its own cases. At that time, the CAS lifted the punishment for other Russian doping cases in Olympic sports.
Grigori Rodchenkow has now given the ARD a statement: “The IPC is afraid and reluctant to conduct serious investigations, impose appropriate sanctions and strictly redistribute medals. And then finally fight the whole thing before the CAS.”he said. “That stopped the IPC from conducting a broader investigation.”
Should the six Russian winners of a total of 21 Paralympic medals ultimately be disqualified, it would be Ukraine of all people who would benefit: the country now under Russian attack would inherit six gold medals. That would be enough for a respectable second place in the medal table behind Russia. Germany would also have the chance to win a medal afterwards: for Anja Wicker in the biathlon over 12.5 kilometers.
“The IPC’s reluctance to ban Russia from the Paralympic Games this week was a clear sign of the power that the Russians, and by extension the IOC, wield over the Paralympic movement.”, says Rob Koehler, director of advocacy for Global Athletes. He adds: “One might wonder if these are the same reasons why the doping cases at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games were not vigorously pursued.”