IOC’s Russia ban didn’t go far enough: Dick Pound

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should have banned all Russian athletes from competing in South Korea.

In an unprecedented decision, the IOC suspended Russia’s national Olympic committee from the 2018 Winter Games, but will allow invited athletes who pass strict anti-doping protocols to compete in Pyeongchang under a neutral flag.

LISTEN: Dick Pound’s full interview with Sportsnet 650’s Starting Lineup

 

“I thought the degree of involvement by the Russian government attacking the Olympic movement was pretty much along the lines of apartheid, and there should have been a blanket ban,” Pound tells Sportsnet 650.

Still, Pound is hopeful the unprecedented punishment will serve as a strong deterrent to other countries who might pursue their own doping programs.

“If they’re prepared to do this to one of the three biggest sporting powers in the world if they’re not following the rules, imagine what they’d do to us. So maybe we’d better make sure we have our act together.”

Pound adds everyone involved in the Olympic movement in Russia was complicit to some degree in the state-sponsored doping program, and needs to pay the price.

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