Canadians left stunned, pleased at Games ban
CALGARY — Canadian cross-country skier Devon Kershaw was floored by the International Olympic Committee’s crackdown on Russia because he had zero faith anything would happen.
The IOC punished Russia on Tuesday for widespread evidence of state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, banning the country from competing in February’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Athletes from Russia who prove they’re clean can participate as “neutrals” without the Russian flag and anthem, the IOC said.
“I’m flabbergasted that the IOC did anything,” Kershaw said from Norway. “I mean, look at their track record.
“I’d pretty much lost all faith in the IOC.”
The three-time Olympian has been leading the charge for Canada’s first medal in men’s cross-country skiing for over a decade.
“Those moments that were robbed, you don’t get them back and it doesn’t feel good to sit here and talk to you and think: Were they doing something like that in Vancouver (in 2010), when I was fourth? Probably,” the 34-year-old from Sudbury said.
“That stinks because that was the prime of my career. Before my facial hair was grey.”
Calgary curler Chelsea Carey said she’s not comfortable with allowing Russians to compete as neutrals because they’re not being held to the same standard as her.
“We all sign a thing that says even if we don’t know, we’re responsible for what we put into our bodies,” Carey said during Olympic trials in Ottawa.
“So I don’t think they should get off the hook because technically they’re responsible for that,” she said.
“Even if they’re claiming they didn’t know or whatever, and maybe that’s true, it doesn’t matter,” Carey added.
“We would still get banned if we didn’t know what we were taking.”
Former Canadian cross-country skier Beckie Scott has been an anti-doping advocate since her bronze medal in 2002 was upgraded to silver and then gold because athletes were disqualified for doping.
The chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s athletes committee says the IOC struck the right balance of punishing those responsible and protecting clean athletes.
Six-time Olympic hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser aligns with Kershaw in placing the blame on Russia’s sport leaders and not the athletes.
“There are no winners in today’s decision,” she said.