Brazil Rio Summer Olympics 2016.

[TsarSamuil]

WOW: Isinbayeva cries in front of Putin for the Olympics' injustice against Russian sportsmen.

Russia Insider
Jul 27, 2016



Isinbayeva gives emotional farewell speech to Olympic team ahead of Rio 2016 Fighting back tears, two-time Olympic champion pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva tells Russian athletes going to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics to defend the country's honor.

Isinbayeva spoke at a Russian Olympic team send-off ceremony at the Kremlin on Wednesday, saying that she and other athletes were banned from going to Rio "in a rude manner and without giving us a chance to defend ourselves."

The Court of Arbitration for Sport last week rejected the appeal by Russian track and field athletes against the ban imposed by the IAAF following allegations of state-sponsored doping and cover-ups.

Isinbayeva and other track and field athletes attended the ceremony despite the fact that they are not going to Rio.

She told those going to Rio to "show them what you're able to do — for yourself and for us too."

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed Russia's Olympic athletes at a farewell ceremony in the Kremlin's St. George Hall in Moscow, Wednesday.
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (Russian): "Not only have our athletes been undeservedly affected and I want to emphasise that no concrete evidentiary charges have been laid. In fact, the entire world of sports and the Olympic Games are affected. It is obvious that the absence of Russian athletes and leaders in many disciplines, will significantly reduce the intensity of the competition and hence the entertainment of the contest. I want to assure you that here, in Russia, we will look at our leading athletes as the winners of the Olympic Games with all the consequences of an administrative and material nature."

SOT, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (Russian): "Of course Russia will prove its commitment to a clean and fair fight with readiness for real partnership with the international sports community in the fight against doping. We intend not only to bring to justice to all those involved in the doping scandals, regardless of rank and merits, but to establish an effective system for prevention of doping in sport in accordance with the national plan to fight against doping, the development of which, as you know, we have already started."

SOT, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (Russian): "There is no doubt that we are proud of you and will do everything to defend your good name, the honour and dignity of sports. Justice will prevail. Those who are going to Rio will certainly have difficulties, but there is a very important and a great feature in the Russian character - difficulties only harden and unite us, they waken a tremendous strength of spirit and open the way for us to the most difficult heights. I sincerely wish you to show all your talents and skills, to show the world that we are able to win fairly and transparently. The whole country will be cheering for you. I wish you success."

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Destination Rio: Russian team head for Olympics 2016 but many clean athletes stay home.

RT
Jul 28, 2016



What's left of Russia's Olympic team has begun heading out to Rio.... after bans for alleged state sponsored cheating have left the squad decimated. The entire track and field team will be staying firmly at home, while a huge cloud of uncertainty still hangs over many other competitiors. RT's Ilya Petrenko got a sense of the team's mood as they headed out from a Moscow airport.

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Brazil: Russian athletes arriving for Rio Olympics receive warm welcome.

Ruptly TV
Jul 28, 2016



Russia's olympic athletes were welcomed by scores of cheering supporters upon their arrival at Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

SOT, Nadia Bernardes, Russian supporter (Russian): "Of course we share our team's concerns about the whole doping issue. However we hope that Russia will be victorious at the olympics. Although some athletes have been disqualified, we can secure top placings."

[TsarSamuil]

US wears what looks like Russian flag, conspiracy theories arise

[TsarSamuil]

Vid,
www.rt.com/sport/354670-ioc-clears-russian-athletes/

IOC clears 271 Russian athletes for Rio Games.

RT.com
4 Aug, 2016 23:20

The IOC has announced that 271 Russian athletes will participate at the Rio Games following a final review by a three-member executive board. The head of Russia’s Olympic Committee previously told reporters that the “majority” of Russian teams would participate in full.

“271 athletes will form the team entered by the Russian National Olympic Committee (ROC) from the original entry list of 389 athletes,” the IOC announced on its website, less than 24 hours before the opening ceremony of the games.

The IOC accepted only those athletes who met the entire set of “very strict criteria” outlined in the July 24, 2016 Executive Board decision, including the controversial “presumption of guilt” clause dismissed by the international Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

After rejecting calls to ban the entire Russian team from participation, the committee set up a panel to examine each athlete individually, based on information provided by their corresponding international sports federations as well as the position of independent arbitrator CAS.

“I want to announce that the majority of our teams will participate at the Olympics in full,” the head of Russia’s Olympic Committee, Aleksandr Zhukov told reporters earlier on Thursday. However, the Russian track and field team will be completely banned from the Olympic Games, as the International Athletics Federation had issued a blanket ban on all Russians, except for those who “lived and trained abroad” over the past three years.

The author of the report, which triggered the final-attempt avalanche of calls to ban the entire Russian team from the Olympics, accused the IOC of misrepresenting, spinning and ignoring the “contents” of his findings. Professor Richard McLaren told the Guardian his report had never been designed to prove individual doping cases or provide evidence, but rather to expose the alleged state-run doping scheme “beyond reasonable doubt.”

“I don’t want to get into a slanging match with the IOC about the way they’ve handled it. I was asked to write a report to determine the facts. I did that,” McLaren told the Guardian, claiming that he has “not turned it [evidence] over to anyone” because he has an “ongoing investigation to complete.”

“I have the evidence, I have it secured. I have the evidence backed up by forensic analysis of databases, sample bottles, I have laboratory evidence of some of those samples. It’s true I haven’t revealed,” McLaren added. “Nothing in there is an allegation. I wouldn’t have put it in if it didn’t meet that standard.”

With the McLaren report, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA appears to have “fallen down on its duty,” believes Professor of Sociology at Aston University Ellis Cashmore.

“Its duty of course is to catch cheating athletes, to catch athletes who take dope,” professor Cashmore told RT. “It has relied on the words of a whistleblower, in other words its informant, and its investigation really proceeded from the words of an informant, not from a dope test.”

“I would not be surprised that of after the games there would be a period of reflection and people wonder whether WADA is fulfilling its purpose and come to the conclusion that maybe it should be disbanded,” Cashmore added.

[TsarSamuil]

Road to Rio: Looking at possible double standards in doping cases.

RT
Aug 5, 2016



Russia's Olympians finally have something to smile about, after the International Olympic Committee gave 271 athletes the green light to compete in this month's Rio Games. However, the latest ruling from the International Court of Arbitration for Sport may open the door for more Russian athletes to compete.

[TsarSamuil]

Entire Russian track & field team remains banned from Rio Olympics.

RT America
Aug 5, 2016



While 271 Russian athletes have been cleared to participate in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, the entire track and field team remains banned after allegations of state-sponsored doping. Even the athletes that never failed a doping test, such as pole-vaulting champion Yelena Isinbayeva, remain banned. RT correspondent Ilya Petrenko reports from Rio de Janeiro.

[TsarSamuil]

Vid,
www.rt.com/op-edge/354722-russian-olympic-athletes-banned/

Russian Olympic athletes banned due to ‘words of informant, not a dope test’

RT.com
5 Aug, 2016 10:46

The World Anti-Doping Agency would appear to have fallen down on its duty, which is to catch cheating athletes; catch athletes who take dope. It hasn’t done that, Ellis Cashmore, Professor of Sociology and a sports expert at Aston University in the UK, told RT.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says 271 Russian athletes are qualified to compete in the Rio Games following a final review by a three-member executive board.

“271 athletes will form the team entered by the Russian National Olympic Committee (ROC) from the original entry list of 389 athletes,” the IOC announced on its website, less than 24 hours before the opening ceremony of the games.

RT: The majority of Team Russia will take part at the Rio games. Can this be considered a victory? After all, some 100 athletes will not be able to participate.

Ellis Cashmore: Well, the athletes that do take part, it can hardly be an ideal preparation for them because up to today – that is, 24 hours before the Games commence – they would not have known for sure whether they would be able to compete. So psychologically they would be extremely disturbed, but I suppose they will also be grateful that they have a chance at winning a medal of some description. So I imagine that they’re breathing relief at the moment.

RT: The IOC chief talked extensively about being fair to clean athletes. Do you think that stance will be broadly well received since there had been loud calls for a blanket ban in the media against the entire Russian team?

EC: The results of this story from Australia are very interesting and throw a completely new light on this whole case. The suggestion is that the McLaren Report, which was sponsored by WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency], was very lax in its identification of who was taking dope and who wasn’t and misidentified some athletes. This was later compounded by the fact that much of the conclusions were misinterpreted and further compounded by the fact that the timing of it was so late that in practical terms the IOC couldn’t react to it in a positive way.

So it would appear – if we’re trying to trace the culpable agent in all this – it would seem to be WADA would appear to have fallen down on its duty, which is to catch cheating athletes; catch athletes who take dope. It hasn’t done that. Instead, it relied on the word of a whistleblower, an informant, and its investigation really proceeded from the words of an informant, not from a dope test.

[TsarSamuil]

Brazil: Russian bronze medalists celebrate win in Rio Olympic.

Ruptly TV
Aug 8, 2016



Russian judoka Natalia Kuziutina and shooter Vladimir Maslennikov were given a warm welcome at the Russian Olympic Team's fan house in Rio de Janeiro on Monday night, after both of them won bronze medals in their respective sports.

[TsarSamuil]

Doping & The Moral High Jump.

Watching the Hawks RT
Aug 12, 2016



Tabetha Wallace delves into the hypocrisy of criticizing certain athletes at the Olympics for doping!

[TsarSamuil]

Brazil: Isinbayeva arrives in Rio ahead of IOC panel elections.

Ruptly TV
Aug 15, 2016



Russian pole-vaulter and two-time Olympic gold medallist Elena Isinbayeva arrived at the Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

[TsarSamuil]

Brazil: Russia's Olympic gold medalists celebrate in Rio.

Ruptly TV
Aug 14, 2016



Russia's gold medallist celebrated at the Russian Fans House in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night. Wrestler Roman Vlasov along with tennis women's doubles team Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina had all become Olympic champions on a golden day for Russian sport.

[TsarSamuil]

Russian women’s fencing team beats Ukraine to win gold in Rio saber final.

RT.com
13 Aug, 2016 22:09

Russian saber fencers stunned Ukraine in the women’s team final 45-30 earning Russia its sixth gold at the Rio Olympics. Fencing has been extremely successful for Russia at the games so far, with four gold medals out of six claimed in the discipline.

The Rio Olympic champion in individual saber Yana Egorian, silver medalist Sofya Velikaya and Yulia Gavrilova beat a Ukrainian team led by 2008 Beijing Olympics team champion and Rio bronze medalist Olga Kharlan in an epic final battle.

Team Russia coach Ilgar Mamedov said that Russian fencers were fighting with great passion from the beginning of the match, which was a key to their overall successful performance.

“It was important that they managed to break away at the very start. The girls were on fire and led the fight to victory,” he said.

Political tensions between Moscow and Kiev did not have any effect on the team, Mamedov said. He stressed that politics should be separate from sport.

“Let’s not get mixed up in politics,” Mamedov told TASS.

Immediately after the match, Ukrainian fencers shook hands with their Russian rivals, congratulating them on their victory. Ukraine were reigning Olympic champions in sabre’s women’s team fencing, having won the first ever competition of this kind in 2008. Russia finished fifth back then.

Ahead of the final, the president of the Russian Fencing Federation, Aleksandr Mikhailov, also denied that politics would play any role in the fight.

“Are there political nuances in the match with Ukrainians? No. What politics? They are friends with each other, get on well. We always congratulate Olga Kharlan [Ukraine’s team leader], Mikhailov said.

In a fight for bronze the Americans, who lost to Russia in the semis, beat Italy 45-30 to claim the US team’s first medal in fencing at the Rio Olympics.

Commenting on the victory, Velikaya said she was dedicating the gold medal to all the Russian athletes banned from competing.

The 31-year old, a seven-time world champion, added that she is not considering ending her career in fencing yet.

“I’m going to continue until Tokyo [Olympics]. I’m not retiring,” she said.

Hardly had anyone anticipated Russia’s dominance in fencing at this Olympiad, even Mamedov himself, who had made a probably too daring pledge ahead of the Games.

“I promised the guys to shave my head if we win two gold medals in Rio. I’ll have to fulfill the promise. As soon as the Olympics end, I will do it. Am I ready? To what exactly should I be ready? Take the razor and simply do it”, he said, as cited by R-Sport.


Russian fencers Yana Egorian, Sofya Velikaya, Yulia Gavrilova and Yekaterina Dyachenko celebrate after winning gold in Rio 2016 Olympics women’s team saber final. © Grigory Sysoyev / Sputnik

[TsarSamuil]

Russian synchronized swimming duet wins Russia’s 12th gold at Rio.

RT.com
16 Aug, 2016 18:27

Reigning Russian synchronized swimming duet Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina have repeated their performance from four years ago, capturing a second consecutive gold medal in a series of dominant displays.

30-year-old Ischenko and 26-year-old Romashina achieved a total of 194.991 after their winning free routine in the Rio pool on Tuesday. China's Huang Xuechen and Sun Wenyan captured silver with 192.368 and Yukiko Inui and Risako Mitsui of Japan won bronze with 188.054. Ukraine and Spain just missed the podium.

“The most difficult thing was carrying on preparations as if nothing was happening, when we thought we might be excluded from the Games [following the McLaren Report]. But thankfully, we were allowed to come here,” said Ischenko.

The two Russians led after the preliminaries, and completed a challenging 'mermaid' routine in the finals that received uniformly high marks, pushing back the Chinese, who put on a technically impressive performance.

"We are often compared to mermaids, and have long thought about a mermaid routine. After all we do spend more time inside the water than outside it. But it's hard to be a mermaid without a tail," said Ischenko. "But we managed it."

These are the fourth Olympic golds for both synchronized swimmers. As well as the duet’s gold medals in Rio and London, Ischenko and Romashina have two team competition first places from 2012 and Beijing 2008. The two are expected to compete for the same honor in Rio later this week.

[TsarSamuil]

Russian heavyweight boxer Tischenko wins Rio gold.

RT.com
15 Aug, 2016 23:12

Heavyweight boxer Evgeny Tishchenko has claimed victory over Kazakhstan’s Vassiliy Levit in the men’s 91kg finals during the Rio Olympics, scoring the 11th gold medal for the Russian national team.

Russia’s Tishchenko has beaten Kazakhstan’s Levit 3-0 on points. The 25-year-old Tishchenko, at 1.96 meters tall used his height and reach to overcome his opponent, a 28-year-old former welterweight world champion, who took home the silver.

The bronze medals went to losing semi-finalists Rustam Tulaganov of Uzbekistan and Erislandy Savon of Cuba.

Tishchenko has now secured Russia’s 11th gold medal in Rio and the first gold for the Russian boxers. Russian now has 35 medals including 12 silver and 12 bronze.

[TsarSamuil]

Team Russia snatches 4 gold medals in a row at Rio Olympics.

RT.com
20 Aug, 2016 20:16

Team Russia snatched its first ever Olympic gold in women’s handball, while first place finishes in men’s freestyle wrestling, women’s individual artistic gymnastics, and the men’s individual modern pentathlon added to Russia’s gold medal count on Saturday.

Handball

Team Russia won 22-19 during the duel with France on Saturday. It is the first ever gold medal for the women’s handball team at the Olympic Games. During the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, it took silver.

This gold medal is the fourteenth team Russia has won during the Brazil Games. It has also taken a total of 16 silver and 19 bronze medals.

Following the victory, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko applauded the team, saying that it has opened a new era for Russian handball.

“Great job, it was a crazy game. The Russian win at the Olympics – this is a new era in our handball,” Mutko said.

The head coach of the Russian Women’s handball team, Evgeniy Trefilov, praised his athletes, saying that their achievement was “unbelievable.”

“We have not yet fully understood and realized, but it’s incredible. I think this victory will give a great boost to the development of handball and sports as a whole,” Trefilov said.

Speaking with journalists, Russian iconic pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva said that the Russian handball victory at the Olympics would boost the school.

“The girls did well, they are real fighters. They demonstrated superb handball throughout the Olympics without suffering a single defeat. A deserved victory for true heroes.”

Gymnastics

Russian gymnast Margarita Mamun has won a gold medal in the women’s artistic individual all-around at the Rio 2016 Olympics, bringing Russia’s medal tally to 15.

The victory was achieved with a total score of 76,483 for four exercises. Silver was claimed by another Russian artistic gymnast, Yana Kudryavtseva, who earned 75,608 points.

As many as eight artistic gymnasts from Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, France, Spain, and South Korea made it to the finals.

Freestyle wrestling

Meanwhile, Russian wrestler Abdulrashid Sadulaev picked up another gold medal for Team Russia on Saturday by beating Turkey’s Selim Yaşar in the men’s 86-kilogram freestyle finals.

Pentathlon

Another gold was snatched by Russia’s Alexander Lesun, who came in first in the men’s individual modern pentathlon event with an overall score of 1,479 points. Pavlo Tymoshchenko from Ukraine took silver, scoring 1,472 points, while Ismael Hernandez of Mexico won the bronze with 1,468 points.

[TsarSamuil]

Brazil: Russian Olympic medalists receive warm welcome at Rio fans house.

Ruptly TV
Aug 21, 2016



The Russian Olympic women's handball team, who had beaten France 22-19 and won the first gold Olympic medal in its history, was received with a warm welcome at Russian fans house in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday.


SOT, Evgeni Trefilov, Head Coach of Russian Handball Team (Russian): "I hope this team will bring a lot of joy to our fans again. From my side, I can say that we represent here our motherland Russia. Despite the pressure imposed on us, the Russian Olympic team has shown a good performance."

SOT, Irina Bliznova, Russian handball player and captain of Olympic national team (Russian): "The most difficult match was against Norway."

SOT, Journalist (Russian): "Why?"

SOT, Irina Bliznova, Russian handball player and captain of Olympic national team (Russian): "Because after all, this team was a two-time Olympic champion as well as World and European champion while we didn't win anything at all for the past seven years. Of course, that match was decisive because if we had gone further, we would have secured medals - no matter gold or silver. But after the match, we realised that we shouldn't retreat. If we defeated Norwegians, then why couldn't we just win against France?"

SOT, Roman Anoshkin, Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in Men's kayak single 1000m (Russian): "I think everyone was a bit shocked that I managed to win the medal. I guess no one among our coaches ever expected that to happen."