After many wins and years competing in the Winter Olympics, Russia has been disqualified due to several accounts of members of their team using drugs to enhance their performances. Former president of Switzerland, Samuel Schmid carried out a 17-month investigation of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic games to search for instances of the Russian government interfering with the cover-up of team members doing drugs to amplify their performances in several sports. According to Schmid, the Russians worked around the anti-doping rules in their team’s favor.

Throughout all this, however, multiple team members have not been following the drug frenzy and are completely deserving of their ranks in the different games of the Olympics. If they are wishing to compete in the 2018 games they must be ‘clean’ or drug-free and must abide by the strict guidelines put in place for them. They also will be playing under the Olympic flag instead of their country’s national flag. They will be designated to compete with a uniform with the words “ Olympic Athlete from Russia” or “OAR” on the back.

After recent revelations,  22 Russian athletes have had their medals revoked and the medal table has placed Russia much farther down the ranking. For example, originally Russia had earned a total of 13 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and nine bronze medals. After the revokement occurred, however,  Russia was left with only nine gold medals, five silver medals, and eight bronze ones. This changed their overall ranking from first to fourth after Norway, the US, and Canada.

After recent findings, this has altered Russia’s standing and completely ruined their chances at a valid run at taking home the gold in the next Winter Olympics. The interfering of the Russian government has only dramatized the situation tenfold.  

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