RTThu, 18 Jan 2018 16:26 UTC
© AFP 2017/ Marc BRAIBANT
Doping sample bottles used by the World Anti-Doping Agency at the Rio 2016 Olympics had a tendency to break when opened, a fresh batch of leaked emails, obtained by RT via the Fancy Bears hacking group, revealed.
The Rio doping laboratory head, Francisco Radler de Aquino Neto, described a "weird situation" with the kits produced by Swiss company, Berlinger, in a July 2016 letter obtained by the hackers.
"The Rio2016 [sic] Berlinger bottles seem not all to be standard and did not fit in the Berlinger openers. Forcing them resulted in breakage of the cap and sometimes it cannot [sic] be used to close the A bottle after aliquoting, e.g., photos in annex. Does Berlinger has a record of this kind of non-conformity?" The answer, if any was given, has not been revealed.
This casts doubt on WADA's claims that Russian intelligence agents managed to swap samples during the home Sochi 2014 Games, getting away with only microscopic scratch marks on the bottles. That's what Richard McLaren, in charge of the investigation into Russia's supposed doping scheme, claims to have discovered to back up his accusations - while it now turns out that WADA officials, equipped with the patented tool for the job, can't open those same bottles without breaking them.
Comment: So the bottles used for testing are extremely suspect, and anyone who was
paid to come forward with Russian doping accusations should be just as suspect:
"What are you offering to Iuliia [Yuliya]? Is there an agreement you would like to send us?," the Stepanovs wrote in the email dated September 2016 after Bach allegedly offered Yuliya support for "her life" but also "her future [sporting career]", which allegedly centered around her joining the National Olympic Committee.
"We would like to confirm, YES, Iuliia needs support," the Stepanovs wrote. "What kind of support are you offering for Iullia's life and for her future? How is the IOC willing to support Iuliia's sports career? Is there a process of joining a National Olympic Committee? Is the IOC willing to help with this process?"
"Vitaly would also like to add that he will greatly appreciate any assistance in his job search. Due to his lack of education, it will be a difficult task. So maybe there is a chance he could be assisted through an Olympic Scholarship as well, so he can get the necessary education and try to help to make the Olympic Movement even better," the couple said in the email.
Comment: So the bottles used for testing are extremely suspect, and anyone who was paid to come forward with Russian doping accusations should be just as suspect: