Russia faces a possible ban from the Olympics due to an alleged Government-operated doping scandal and it appears hockey players were also involved in the cover-up.
According to Slava Malamud, WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) found between 16 and 17 drug samples from the Russian hockey team that were either tampered with or disappeared. The results are from both the men and women’s hockey team.
WADA has found 10+ doping tests of RUS hockey players that were tampered with or disappeared. So, no, hockey isn't immune
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@SlavaMalamud) July 18, 2016
More. They found about 16 or 17 samples. Question is, are they all from Sochi? https://t.co/t875P4WM1F
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@SlavaMalamud) July 18, 2016
Rick Westhead reports 14 Russian hockey players tested positive for PEDs, results that ‘disappeared.’ Russia was the host of four major tournaments when the alleged government doping took place.
McLaren team reports that from 2011 to 2015, 14 Russian hockey players tested positive for PEDs and those results "disappeared."
— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) July 18, 2016
IIHF says Russia hosted 4 major international tournaments from 2011-15, timeframe when Russian govt covered up 14 tests for hockey players
— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) July 18, 2016
According to Doctor Grigory Rodchenkov, who ran the labs at the Sochi Games, the entire 2014 Russian Women’s team was doping. So were any NHL players apart of the doping scandal? It’s hard to say. Malamud tweeted to Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy and told him it was more likely KHL players were doping if there were any guilty parties on the team. Considering the whole women’s team was allegedly doping, the men’s team might be entirely clean. Given how the alleged doping is widespread among the Russian Olympic team, there’s a good chance someone was doping, however. It certainly puts an asterisk beside the entire squad.
The allegations are damning but it serves little purpose rushing to the conclusion about a specific athlete on either Russian hockey team.
