Doping Scandal Exposes Russia's State-Sponsored Olympic Program: Essay Sample on Icarus Documentary

Icarus documentary by Bryan Fogel exposes the biggest offense in Sports history, the doping scandal. From the footage, Fogel and Rodchenkov oversee Russia creating a state-sponsored Olympic doping program (Fogel, 2017). It follows due to the widespread investigations that documented the doping violations by the Russian athletes. This was after the World Anti-Doping Agency found out that the Russia Ministry of sports manipulated samples of urines of the athletes. In the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the Russian secret police switched the samples against urine samples that were tainted, thus leading to the disappearance of the positive doping samples and covering up doping.

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Icarus film expose revealed athletes who doped never worked independently, but in conjunction with coaches, managers and doctors who offered the performance-enhancing drugs. Russia was still upfront in the drug use allegations; however, from the state-sponsored Olympic doping program, more than 34 footballers in Russia inclusive of the whole 23-man 2014 World Cup group were pinpointed as viable beneficiaries of the doping scheme (Blecker, 2018). On the other hand, Russia remained as losers after the IOC declaration in December 2017, of them not participating in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics that was scheduled to happen in 2018 (Fogel, 2017).

The documentary Icarus (2017) sheds light on how effortlessly professional athletes got away with offenses in doping. Bryan a cyclist begins the journey to show to the world how he would compete while chemically induced yet not be discovered (Fogel, 2017). Bryan Fogel's goal brought closer why the world of athletics and sport needed the performance-enhancing drugs, that it was majorly to cheat. It is an indication that athletes had the will to do anything to top the list. The footage reveals every sport that needed strength, endurance, and true fitness had the athletes use doping to cheat, and thereby shine. The athletes seemingly also worked hand in hand with the government, while serving as their employees. The government, therefore mandatorily required them to win every sport, and acquire medals for the state.

Bryan Fogel film blasts the International Olympic Committee of Russia for failing to punish its athletes for using doping. However, instead showed support by allowing them to cheat in competitions thereby win medals for the government. The Russian athletes would use these drugs without any action being imposed on them following such an offense (Blecker, 2018). The documentary points out the fault of the current drug enhancement situation in the athletic world and sport as being massively by the government. The doping project is overseen by the government who alleging involve even the police secret service who come in to ensure the sample swapping of urine samples by the athletes is a success (Fogel, 2017). The documentary as well also pinpoints of Fogel frustrations of the IOC sweeping under the carpet his allegations and easily finding means to have the scandalous issue disappear.

Ultimately, today's drug enhancement situation in sport and athletic world according to Icarus (2017) documentary has the state officials to be pinned for the blame. Fogel footage depicts Grigory an anti-doping expertise who assists him yet he is the one in charge of the state-sponsored doping scheme. According to Grigory, the program gained funds to run it from the Ministry of Russia thus enabling every athlete to undergo doping without the ease of recognition (Fogel, 2017). Most importantly the coaches would also advise the athletes to continue doping, despite recognizing its impacts, in that primarily for them it was only significant for the major wins.

References

Blecker, R. (2018). Are the Right People Being Punished for the Russian Doping Scandal? Other Publications. 200, 1-5. https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1194&context=fac_other_pubs

Fogel, B. (Director). (2017). Icarus [Motion picture]. United States: Alex Productions Diamond Docs Impact Partners.