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Doping violations at the Olympics

With the notable exception of Moscow in 1980, doping violations at the Olympics have been increasing since 1968

ANTI-DOPING advocates expressed outrage at the International Olympic Committee's decision not to impose a blanket ban on the Russian Olympic team. The president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Sir Craig Reedie, said in a statement that its report "exposed, beyond a reasonable doubt, a state-run doping program in Russia that seriously undermines the principles of clean sport”.

Russia is not the only culprit. Thirty-six athletes from 17 nations tested positive for a variety of banned substances including clenbuterol, stanozolol and methylhexaneamine at the 2012 games; in 1968, a year after testing began, the only transgressor, Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall, allegedly had “two beers” to calm his nerves before a pistol-shooting event. He was disqualified for using ethanol and lost his bronze medal. The second-ever drugs cheat, at the 1972 games, was banned for caffeine abuse. The number and sophistication of doping violations has since worsened.

Of all the summer Olympics held since 1968 only one has resulted in no drug violations being discovered, Moscow in 1980. Independent analysis since then has suggested that 19 podium placed winners used banned substances. The Australian Senate claimed, “there is hardly a medal winner at the Moscow games, certainly not a gold medal winner… who was not on one sort of drug or another.” It concluded that the Moscow games might well have been called the chemists’ games.

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