About witch hunts: lynching athletes for failing a drug test

1. It amazes me how so many people echoed through social media the crucifixion of Russian lifters for failing drug tests reported on mainstream press. To anyone who’s been in the game long enough, it is obvious that some political agreement went sour or some “negative test fees” were not paid. That is all. There can be a price for negative tests, the WADA is the pharmacological armed branch of the IOC and this is just institutional politics. It is cowardly to take it on individual lifters who have no choice on which federation to compete. This digital lynching is embarrassing to me as a human being. On a side (important) note, I am one who takes many of the things done in Russia with a large grain of salt, considering the immense power of the mafias and cartels there.

2. Some of the results we see being achieved in lifting are impressive, but many of us are silently suspicious of the actual weight of the lifter and other things. I personally saw closed doors manipulation of bodyweights, since the scale is not seen outside the weight chamber. However, neither me or any of those close to me who share my doubts expose them. We watch and we silence. This is the honorable way to react.

3. “Cry cheating” over everything and digging into evidence for the purpose of tearing down athletes, under the disguise of a moralistic crusade is something that immediately raises a red flag for me. It is not much different than “cry high squat”. Do that frequently enough and when the time comes to actually rise to the occasion and fight the good fight, nobody will take you seriously.

4. Witch hunting expresses an authoritarian and megalomaniac nature, a level of self-righteousness bordering madness or opportunism. I leave their mental sanity for mental health professionals to comment on and/or treat them. But the political side interests me for self-defense: these people cannot be trusted.

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