Bryan Fogel's movie Icarus just won Best Documentary Feature at the oscars, driving new public attention to Russia's Olympic doping scheme. I highly recommend this movie.
Summary:
Bryan Fogel set out to document his experience using blood doping to excel at an Amateur bike race while passing all drug testing performed by race officials. After seeing Lance Armstrong win medals while passing drug tests, Fogel wanted to document this process for public eye. However, his inquiry into the world of blood doping uncovered surprising secretes. Fogel's doping advisor was Grigory Rodchenkov, a Russian scientist who was in charge of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited lab in Moscow. Throughout the movie, the plot diverges from Fogel's bike race, and focuses on Rodchenkov, and the crimes he divulges. He claims he was in charge of a state sponsored doping program that broke Olympic Anti-doping rules to get athletes to win. The state sponsored cheating program was started in the 60s and has been ongoing ever since. Fearing his life was in danger due to his friend dying form a sketchy heart attack(suspected to be an assassination), Rodchenkov escaped to the US, where he is now in protective custody. This movie highlights for public view the corruption in the Russian government, and the extent the Russian government used cheating to boost Putin's popularity for a swift invasion of Ukraine.
Before the Sochi Olympics Putin had an dismal approval rating, below 30%. So, Rodchenkov claims he set up a system to switch out drug testing vials at Sochi, tampering with results and allowing Russian Athlete to continue to take performance enhancing drugs throughout the competition. Russia won 13 medals, Putins approval rating went to 85%, allowing him to invad Ukraine with little pushback. Rodchenkov told his story because he felt he was no longer a scientist, rather a cheater, using KGB agents and dummy walls to cheat an international system.
Analysis:
With winning an oscar, the movie further highlights for public view the extent Russian corruption. Corroborated with the recent Russia suspected attacks in England, the movie shows to the public the willingness for Russia to assassinate and cheat their way to the top. After seeing this movie, Russian meddling in the election seems definite.
Questions:
Have you seen this movie? Has it changed your perspective on Russia?
Where Russia's consequences in the last Olympics justified?
Should Rodchenkov be punished for his role int he scheme? Or commended for telling the truth to the world?
Now that the world has this information. What should be done? What will be done?
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