Vladimir Salnikov, president of the Russian Swimming Federation, announced in a press conference that Russian sprinter and gold medal contender Vlad Morozov will be appealing his ban from competing in Rio at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Morozov, who has spent much of his swimming career in LA and has ties with USC, was named along with Nikita Lobintsev and Daria Ustinova in the McLaren Report. FINA, in accordance with the IOC decision on Russian sports, banned seven swimmers from the Games; four who had already reportedly tested positive for a banned substance (like Yulia Efimova, who has set out plans to appeal with CAS), and three others.
While it was initially unclear why Morozov, who had never reportedly tested positive for a banned substance or served any doping-related sentences, was withdrawn from the games by FINA, the WADA today confirmed that Morozov (along with Lobintsev and Ustinova) were involved in the Russian methodology of “disappearing positives.” The McLaren reports claims that these specific three swimmers were part of a Russian scheme to dispose of any positive findings of banned substances.
According to the Russian state-owned news agency Tass.ru, Russian Swimming Federation president Salnikov said in a press conference that (roughly translated from Russian), “the president of FINA Julio Maglione [a] few days ago expressed support for athletes Morozov [and] Lobintsov… [they have] not committed any violations[.] FINA has asked WADA confirms the information I hope that in the end the report of the independent commission WADA Richard McLaren will not affect their participation in the Olympic Games.”
Salnikov also stated that “we believe that the information contained in the report of McLaren, should be public. Athletes have the right to sue,” and that “the claim should be reviewed within 24 hours. I think we will use this right. Morozov addressed the WWF with a request to provide information support I think he will appeal to the CAS.”
I trusted Vlad I even posted in his ama. But hey at least izlotov is clean right?
This is so cute.
Of course Izotov is clean.
He is a very talented freestyler and was a beast already when he was still an age grouper.
I’m not for nor again Vlad, but just saying, saying Izotov was a beast when he was still an age grouper doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Vlad was a very talented age grouper as well swimming on Swim Torrance.
I think I make a habit of making too subtle sarcasms that are lost on some people.
Whoops. Went right over my head haha. I don’t always notice sarcasm over text.
Didn’t realise so many of Morozov’s friends used Swimswam! Wonder if he has text all 3 and told them to leave comments supporting him… He might even be trawling these comments… He totes is actually!!
Hi Vlad
Who gets to overrule whom with the Russian 7? McLaren, WADA, FINA and IOC have all seen the same data, analysed the same facts and reached the same conclusion. Right? Let’s also assume there won’t be any new evidence between now and the upcoming CAS hearings. Just for fun, let’s assume Joel Lin is onto something with his conspiracy theory and the CAS invokes the Osaka rule and gives the 7 the green light to compete. It’s still the IOCs show, isn’t it? We (at least I did) learned from the Park T.W. fiasco that he still had to get approval from the Korean O.C. even after he won his case with the CAS. So, Can IOC still say no… Read more »
Marley09 – I discussed that in an article, but my feeling is yes – but only if they’re willing to play their “silver bullet” and ban the entire ROC, which the CAS has already seemingly set a precedent for by barring the whole Russian Athletics Federation. https://staging.swimswam.com/russians-appeals-cas-might-work-might-fail/
So basically, these 7 athletes who are fighting/appealing could lead to the whole team being banned?
Is it just me or does that seem pretty selfish for these few to be risking their teammates eligibility, who are verifiably innocent
I am a personal friend of Vlads and know first hand he has never used any type of sport enhancing drugs throughout his career. It saddens me to see that because of his choice to swim for his home country Russia (he is also a US citizen and can eligibly compete for the US) that FINA is using this as an excuse to ban him because of their prejudice views. If they plan on not letting him compete they might as well ban Phelps and Lochte for their under the radar use of Marijuana.
The use of marijuana is not performance enhancing if anything it is a detriment to performance
Marijuana actually has shown results for decreasing anxiety which helps in training and long strenuous sets, it can also act as a bronchodilator which helps you breathe better as surprising as that sounds.
Quinn, we don’t know that. As a matter of fact there are many studies showing benefits of marijuana and it’s positive effects on the nervous system, metabolism and recovery.
Ban everyone for under the radar use of protein, amino acids, creatine, caffeine etc.
Explain to me the use of those for anything other than IMPROVE RECOVERY, GAIN STRENGTH, IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.
BAN EVERYONE! Clean athletes only! Only the ones that eat real food and eat steak and eggs are allowed! Only those who eat organic chicken and non-GMO food!
CHEATERS!
Clearly you never hung out with divers in college.
What…. FINA is prejudiced against Russia?
LOL.
Funniest thing I’ve heard today.
There is no proof they inhaled….Bill Clinton told me so
Luke, you mean to tell us that you follow Vlad around 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and on his trips to Russia, the bathroom, or the pharmacy? Let’s not be naïve. There is time in the day for anyone to do bad things if they choose.
Read the McLaren report. Russian swimmers tested positive a total of 18 times only to have their positive results “disappear”. The report does not name names but assuming some tested positive more than once, there are a handful of Russian swimmers out there who have very clearly doped. You don’t have to be much of a scholar to figure out that the IOC’s banning of 7… Read more »
Your word against McLaren’s. I choose Mclaren.
I think the IOC is taking a pretty strong position. It is saying very clearly that it intends to take doping very seriously and it no longer wishes to have its event sullied by dopers. The retesting of the 2008 and 2012 samples is somewhat of an embarrassment to the IOC and they are clearly pissed. I see bigger shoes dropping in the coming months (aka fines, whole NGB’s dismantled or investigated). FINA is a toothless profit-hungry entity with no backbone and the IOC knows that FINA-like NGB’s will do nothing very real to rid sport of doping.
That said, I’d love to see the full McLaren report and the link being made between Russian systemic doping and Morozov,… Read more »
This is going perfectly by script. It’s well settled that CAS will overturn and allow Yulia to swim. In regards to Vlad there is this very important distinction: HE’S TECHNICALLY NEVER BEEN SANCTIONED BY FINA. He’s named in the WADA report with specifics, but this is not nearly the same thing as having been investigated and them suspended or barred by FINA.
And if there was a casino in Vegas taking bets, my bet would be FINA is in no hurry to move that process along at the 11th hour.
This is really disgusting, but the bottom line is the IOC knew their guidance would not hold up through CAS. FINA knew that too. FINA clearly knew that… Read more »
Yes its pretty inept to just ban the guy with no due process so its easy to see CAS allowing them all back in. I would put it on FINA to open a doping case against him and issue a provisional suspension. Maybe sometime in 2017 they will get around to it.
yes, and swim they should!
Morozov, Lobintsev, Efimova, et al are no longer on the FINA FINAL ENTRY LIST:
https://www.fina.org/sites/default/files/men_final_4.pdf
https://www.fina.org/sites/default/files/women_final_3.pdf
Good!
Just to add some more Info
Lobintsev and Morozov are on Rio already.. They came together with the first group of Russian athletes and are training normally with the team.. also on Rio Tarasevich and Sukhorukov.
Today the rest of the russians will get to Rio, it is not know yet if Ustinova Efimova and others are with the delegation.
They are no longer on FINA final entry list, though, FINA has removed them. So they won’t have accreditation to access the competition facility.