Soboleva, Six Other Russians Banned Two Years Each

[EPelle]

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gsY ... qUbskUBsgg

Valentin Balakhnichev, the head of the Russian athletics federation, said Monday: "We suspended for two years all of the seven athletes involved in the case for violations of the doping code.

"The bans come into action from April or May 2007, the date when the samples were given for tests."

[The Captain]

Don't think the IAAF will stand for those start dates ...

[Powell]

Don't think the IAAF will stand for those start dates ...

Ban period always starts at the date of the positive test - there's nothing that the IAAF can or will question here.
Of course, the decision means that Soboleva will lose her medals from the WCh and WICh, plus her world indoor record.

[Jon]

Soboleva will lose her medals from the WCh and WICh...

...and the now-banned Daniela Yordanova will gain bronze medals from both the 2007 WCh and 2008 WICh. :x Shades of Paris and Sydney all over again :roll:

[AthleticsInBritain]

Can't be bothered checking, but does this mean that the World Indoor 1500m record will now revert to Regina Jacobs?

Edit: I shamed myself for being so lazy and checked. According to the results and Pela's list, it should now go to Gelete Burka with 3:59.75 for 3rd in the World Indoors, as Fomenko was 2nd.

[Jon]

No, Soboleva will still hold the world indoor record. But it will be her 3:58.28 from 2006 as opposed to her 3:57.71 from this year.

[The Captain]

Start date is fair enough, end date is more debatable. What I meant to imply was that they would push for a longer period of ineligibility. This looks as though they will conveniently be reinstated in time for Berlin. Also it is to be assumed that they were still cheating at the time of the Russian champs ...

[Swoosher]

Don't think the IAAF will stand for those start dates ...

Ban period always starts at the date of the positive test - there's nothing that the IAAF can or will question here.
Of course, the decision means that Soboleva will lose her medals from the WCh and WICh, plus her world indoor record.

Actually I am sure the IAAF Rules say that the sanction date starts either on the date of the hearing, or the date that the provisional suspension was imposed...in this case just before Beijing. I guess it is there to stop a situation (similar to this) where basically there is no sanction on the athlete (other than the removal of some results...and of course missing Beijing). I think the IAAF won't be happy either and there will be a bit more "discussion" on this one....and a possible appeal or a least a new start date for the sanction

[tandfman]

Don't think the IAAF will stand for those start dates ...

Ban period always starts at the date of the positive test - there's nothing that the IAAF can or will question here.
Of course, the decision means that Soboleva will lose her medals from the WCh and WICh, plus her world indoor record.

Actually I am sure the IAAF Rules say that the sanction date starts either on the date of the hearing, or the date that the provisional suspension was imposed...in this case just before Beijing. I guess it is there to stop a situation (similar to this) where basically there is no sanction on the athlete (other than the removal of some results...and of course missing Beijing). I think the IAAF won't be happy either and there will be a bit more "discussion" on this one....and a possible appeal or a least a new start date for the sanction

There seems to be some confusion here, although the rules themselves seem to be clear.

It appears that there are two relevant dates and they are different--the date from which results are nullified and the date when the period of ineligibility starts. The results are nullified from the date when the positive sample was given. (Rule 39.5) In a case like these cases, where a provisional suspension has been been imposed, the athlete is effectively credited with time served, so that the two years would start when the provisional suspension was imposed. (Rule 40.9.)

Of course, in order to be reinstated, she will have to return all of the money she earned from and after the date when she gave the sample that was deemed positive.

[nevetsllim]

Soboleva will lose her medals from the WCh and WICh...

...and the now-banned Daniela Yordanova will gain bronze medals from both the 2007 WCh and 2008 WICh. :x Shades of Paris and Sydney all over again :roll:

And look at which two athletes finished behind Yordanova - Popescu and Ghezielle :roll: :shock: What a joke!

[EPelle]

Yegorova, according to front-page article, is now retired.

[eldrick]

it says the iaaf took 16 months to find them guilty !

it is ludicrous to add another 2y to that, as in effect, with all results in those 16 months scrubbed & 2y added on, means iaaf is effectively imposing a 3 1/3y ban on them

if iaaf has only got the organisational ability to set up/analyse 7 DNA tests in 16 months, then they will become a laughing stock ( whenever i sent off DNA tests, i got result back in no more than 1/52 - iaaf coudn't do this ?! )

[jjimbojames]

If this were a legal matter going through court system, sentence starts from date of being found guilty, taking into account any time already served

To start their punishment from when the IAAF first started gathering evidence is ridiculous - it should be from just before Oly Games, but lose money / times etc from period of surveilance etc as they knew all was not right (in the same way that the PD might have an undercover agent on the case - they know wrong doing is taking place, but are gathering more and more hardcore evidence)

Eldy - agree, 16 months seems rather long, but I guess they were limited with the access they had to the athletes, and wanted a water-tight case against them, as it involved so many athletes, and particularly given the implications/rumours on the national governing body that ensued

[Jaack]

Don't think the IAAF will stand for those start dates ...

So basically, they all miss the indoor season but they're back in what, 7 months well before the summer season. Fckin PATHETIC!

[lalala]

There will be something more than that- I can't see any of them in Berlin next year...

The IAAF has to make some rule about the redistribution of medals now, though. This is getting ridiculous...