February 26, 2020 Hockey / NHL / Olympics

NHL Players’ Return to the Winter Olympics May be Closer than Expected

On February 8, 2020, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman tweeted that “the [International Olympic Committee] and [International Ice Hockey Federation] indicated a willingness . . . to address NHL issues to get players to go to 2022 Olympics.” This is a significant change in the NHL’s previous anti-Olympic stance.

The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea marked the first time in 20 years that NHL players were absent. The players were overwhelmingly in favor of playing in the 2018 games; however, the NHL balked at the …

December 16, 2019 Doping / Fraud / Olympics / Soccer

Russia Banned From 2020 and 2022 Olympics, 2022 World Cup for Doping Violations

Russia has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from participating in or hosting various sporting events, including the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup.

As we reported earlier, the Russian track-and-field team was banned from the 2016 Summer Olympics by the International Association of Athletics Federations. This ban was a result of a systematic doping cover-up and the lack of compliance from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). The Russian Olympic team was later banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics due to extensive doping …

December 5, 2017 Olympics

Russia Banned from 2018 Olympics; “Clean” Athletes May Compete under Neutral Uniform

Russia’s Olympic team has been banned from the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The country’s government officials are forbidden to attend, its flag will not be displayed at the opening ceremony, its anthem will not sound, and the official record books will show Russia won zero medals. The Russian Olympic Committee was also fined $15 million and ordered to reimburse the IOC’s costs of the investigation. Vitaly Mutko, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and former Minister of Sport, has also been …