Martin Dubbey, now managing director of investigations firm Harod, was Wada’s chief investigator into Russian doping. He is surprised how accommodating the International Olympic Committee has been. “How weak and bending over backwards can the IOC get?
“I mean let’s face it, it’s not a little flash [of colour on the uniform] is it? It’s just like the whole uniform is Russia. Where’s that neutral colour?”
Dubbey says Russian doping constitutes a “‘massive fraud on the rest of the world”.
“It not only impacts on innocent athletes but embarrasses the whole institution of the Olympics. You get a slap on the wrist, get punished but then you’re able to weasel your way out of the punishment. It doesn’t seem right.
“To me it’s an insult to the athletes that have toiled hard and tried to compete against doped athletes. When those doped athletes dope with the connivance of the state, it makes it even worse. Russia is not the only one, but they have been caught out spectacularly at this on a grand scale. And what’s been the punishment?”
The compromise at this Games is all in the name. Russian athletes are competing as the ROC, standing for the Russian Olympic Committee and stirring Euro 92 memories of the post-Soviet CIS. While it is clear what it stands for, ROC are supposed to be referred to in acronym form only, so are technically conforming with the rule that forbids use of the word “Russia”. Attritional chipping away at the edges of fairness has been in the Russian playbook for some time, says Dubbey.
“It’s not just about having cheated in the first place. It’s the kicking and screaming afterwards and tying up an enormous amount of Wada time and effort that could have been spent on genuine work helping athletes.
“I’ve seen the lengths we’ve had to go to, to prove the forensics on their cases. The Russians battled the credibility of every single email, but we won every time.”
It was not hard to identify the sides during Monday’s Pool B volleyball game. One wore white and the stars and stripes. Their opponents had names printed on their back, among them Panklov, Volkov and Kurkaev.