Perdita Felicien says it's right to ban Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics

There is no shortage of people willing to expose the corruption of Russia's sports program.

Insiders like Grigory Rodchenkov, who for a decade was head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and blew the whistle. He described elaborate, wide-spread systemic deception on his part. Crucially, he claims he was working on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Sport.  
"We were fully equipped, knowledgeable, experienced and perfectly prepared for Sochi like never before," Rodchenkov told the New York Times. "It was working like a Swiss watch."

For once, the punishment fits the crime. This was the only move the governing body could make.- Perdita Felicien

Russia denies the allegations and says Rodchenkov acted alone. Athletes he implicated also say they are clean. 
But in November, Russia's claims of innocence were met with a devastating blow. A report by the World Anti-Doping Agency said Russia effectively "sabotaged" the 2012 Olympics. 
In precise detail, WADA accused Russia's track and field athletes and coaches of being players in an organized doping conspiracy that included law enforcement and security. WADA urged track and field's international governing body, the IAAF, to ban Russia from competition. 

A landmark decision

On Friday, the IAAF upheld that ban, barring Russia's track team from competing  at  the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.  Some say the IOC should ban all Russian athletes.

That would be historic. No nation has ever been barred from the Olympics for cheating. 

Perdita Felicien, the retired Canadian hurdler, a two-time Olympian and ten-time national champion says banning Russia's track and field team from the Rio Olympics was long overdue.
"For once," She tells Brent Bambury on CBC Radio's Day 6, "The punishment fits the crime."
"If you're practical," she says, "if you looked at the evidence, if you look at the sheer magnitude of the allegations, this was the only move that the governing body could make."

Athletes were suspicious

Felicien says for the ten years she competed at a professional level there were always rumours and allegations around certain Russian athletes. 

"You would hear that doping control officers would head to Russia and the immigration officers would tip (authorities) off. They would say, 'Hey, doping control officers just landed. Just so you know, here they come!'"

Beyond rumours, Felicien says athletes observed irregularities in the way Russians were tested. 

"Sometimes you are asked to collect a (urine) sample. You can't go right away because maybe you just went an hour ago. But the Russian athletes will come in and right away they can give a sample like clockwork, one after another. It implies that they have a fresh supply somewhere that's handy, it implies that maybe there are things they are using inside their body, catheters." 

You have to feel the impact and the pain of your decisions. This is not one group of athletes cheating, this is not one coach and athlete doing something behind closed doors. It is common practice. This is systemic.- Perdita Felicien

Other evidence

Felicien cites an incident in another WADA report issued on Wednesday.
"Evidence came out this week that an athlete was using a container to pass urine. Of course you're being watched. The container spilled out of her and then she decided, 'Well I'm just going to bribe the officer.' There's proof of this. So it tells me that these swirling allegations that have been around for years, that athletes knew of, are now coming out. Because we have whistleblowers and it takes whistleblowers for things like this to change."

A loophole for Russia

Not everyone is convinced the IAAF will prevail in keeping Russian athletes out of the Summer Games. The IOC meets next week and could devise an eligibility test to let clean Russian competitors take the field in Rio. 

Felicien thinks that would be a mistake. 

"We know that simply because you pass the test doesn't mean that the sample of urine was yours," she says.
And she is doubtful Russia would allow Russian athletes to compete if the nation itself is banned. "Russia's pride is so linked to their athletic superiority.  Would Putin want to see his athletes competing under the Olympic flag?"  

She admits there are very likely clean athletes on the Russian team that will be penalized by a blanket ban, but believes the ban should be universal. 

"We will have athletes that were probably clean that will either sue or bring a case before the higher sport authorities. But I do think that, at the end of the day, if every single person from the top to the bottom — even the emerging, developing athletes who have been training for ten or fifteen years — doesn't feel it, then Russia will never have any impetus to change what they are doing."

"You have to feel the impact and the pain of your decisions. This is not one group of athletes cheating, this is not one coach and athlete doing something behind closed doors. It is common practice. This is systemic.  This is an attitude that says 'We don't care. We are a superpower and we will do what we want,' so everybody has to feel the consequences."

Felicien says there are likely other countries with systemic doping programs, and now the governing bodies of sport are sending them a message too. 

"Any other country that's doing this or thinking of doing this is now going to look at Russia as the example and they're going to be embarrassed, they're going to be ashamed."

A better games

Russia finished first in medal count at Sochi, fourth in London, third in Beijing. But Felicien rejects the idea that with the loss of such a powerful competitor, the games in Rio will be less exciting. 
"It will make it more exciting to watch, because you don't have to look at a mark and ask 'Are there needles and syringes involved? What kind of chemistry is going on for athlete to make that mark?' It will make it a fair playing ground."

And better for athletes too. She cites the case of Australian walker Jared Tallent who won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, but got the gold after the Russian winner was disqualified for doping.

"Here's what happens if they steal those moments of joy.  Yes, it's great to get a metal four years later, but a civil ceremony in your hometown with the mayor and your family, yeah that's cute, that's nice, but you missed that impact of getting it on an Olympic Podium with thousands of people."