Russian athletes, formerly notable contenders for Olympic medals, currently represent their nation by the phrase “Olympic Athlete from Russia.” The International Olympic Committee is allowing “clean” Russian athletes to compete after extensive drug testing for the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea. Russia is being punished for having pushed athletes into “doping” in order to improve their performance and medal retention.
Doping covers the many ways in which athletes enhance their performance artificially. The most common drugs are anabolic steroids, stimulants, various types of hormones and blood doping. The purpose is for athletes to be able to train harder, recover faster, and decrease fatigue or pain. Many are addictive and have significant side effects on the athlete’s overall and long-term health, which is why Russia has received such critical attention. In particular, there were also agents used to hide the discovery of doping in drug testing.
Such practices should not be tolerated by the international community. We must ensure that athletes commit to fair competition and look after their health. We must not allow countries to strong-arm their representatives in any way. We should not, however, punish competitors who test clean, for it would be unethical to rob them of an opportunity for which they have trained their entire lives. This is why we should support the decision of the International Olympic Committee to allow Russian athletes to compete on some level. Even if they cannot officially represent Russia, they still deserve to be there.
Beginning in the Olympic Games in 1960, the International Olympic Committee issued the first drug testing to athletes in an attempt to confirm their legitimacy in competing. A list of banned substances remains, which restricts competitors to specific medications and pain reliefs. The discussion of whether or not the Russian teams should be able to have representation at all caused controversial views prior to the start of this year’s games. Many see simply changing the name on their uniforms as well as omitting the Russian national anthem as degrading and a harsh punishment in and of itself.While such limitations may be disappointing for them, it is better that they are allowed to compete.
Participating in the Olympic games is a lifetime goal for serious athletes. Qualifying for each team and representing your country seems like a significant reason to honor the system. Cheating in the games undermines everything for which athletes have trained. In turn, the Russians who were clean should be allowed to compete without hesitation. They should not be blamed for those who were convinced into doping. Qualifying to compete in the Olympics is a difficult task reserved for the best athletes in each nation. Though no exception should be made for those who choose to cheat the system, the honor should not be taken away from the Russian athletes who earned their spot.