Canadian luger says it’s a ‘dark day’ after Russian doping ban reversal
An international tribunal’s decision to overturn lifetime suspensions and reinstate results for 28 Russian athletes accused of doping is a low point for fair play in sport, says a Canadian athlete who stands to lose an Olympic bronze medal because of the decision.
Calgary luger Sam Edney didn’t mince words Thursday after learning about the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling that sanctions against the athletes should be annulled and their individual results at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi be reinstated because of insufficient evidence.
“Above anything else, this is a very very very dark day for the Olympics,” Edney said via Twitter. “AND, this is a very very very dark day for Clean Sport … if there is such a thing anymore.”
With just a week to go before the Pyeongchang Olympics, the 33-year-old Edney and teammates Alex Gough, Tristan Walker and Justin Snith are poised to lose what would have been Canada’s first Winter Games medal in luge.