Training Log Archive: SwampfoxIn the 1 days ending Feb 25, 2018: |
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Sunday Feb 25, 2018 #
Note
Chilly but nice skiing today. Again, it wasn't the temps so much as it was the wind that put a bite into matters--and today's were quite proper, even by local standards, and a full step up at least from what we had yesterday. I was surprised not to see any downed trees either while I was skiing or running afterwards. Though while I was running I did pass one living lodgepole pine that was creaking loudly at the base each time the trunk bent forward in the wind--so much so that I turned around and went back to it to listen more carefully. It sounded like it was going to give way at some point.
I was surprised to read that some late consideration had been given to let Russian athletes march with their flag at the closing ceremony. I really hadn't followed the whole doping suspension in any detail, and just had some vague idea that Russian athletes were going to be allowed to participate in Korea on a case-by-case basis, but there would be no flag or no anthem played in the event an athlete won a gold medal. And I hadn't thought at all about whether that seemed like a good idea or bad idea to let some athletes from Russia compete on that basis.
I spent a fair amount of the time thinking about the Russian doping matter while I was out skiing today, and, while recognizing that there were many facts that I didn't know much or anything about, I tried to think about what I would have decided about how to handle what happened 4 years ago, had it been up to me. I ended up deciding that a precondition of any future Olympic participation by Russia would be a complete confession of what happened in Sochi and full cooperation in detailing the methods used and the people involved in the doping. And then, as another precondition, there should be apologies and in some way an attempt to make it up for what was taken from the athletes who were bumped out of the medals by doping athletes, or who were bumped down from the higher medal they deserved. What specifically that might entail, I have no idea.
And then as for the Russian athletes being allowed to compete in these just concluded games, on a "neutral basis", in the end I decided that even if you presume they had nothing whatsoever to do with what happened 4 years ago, and even if they were 100% clean (which now seems was not the case), too bad. I would have decided against allowing them to compete. At least in my own case while I was watching these games, I never thought of these athletes as being Olympic Athletes who just happened to be form Russia. Rather, almost at once I started thinking "Russia" anytime I saw the Olympic rings with "OAR" under them. They were Russians, and my guess is you wouldn't have to search to hard to find a Russian medal count somewhere from these Olympics.
I recognize that I was thinking about these things in a fairly abstract way, and probably fairly superficially. It was mostly just something to occupy the time while I was skiing. It wouldn't surprise me if there weren't many persuasive arguments to be made for handling this in a variety of different manners--arguments that I would find persuasive myself.
I was surprised to read that some late consideration had been given to let Russian athletes march with their flag at the closing ceremony. I really hadn't followed the whole doping suspension in any detail, and just had some vague idea that Russian athletes were going to be allowed to participate in Korea on a case-by-case basis, but there would be no flag or no anthem played in the event an athlete won a gold medal. And I hadn't thought at all about whether that seemed like a good idea or bad idea to let some athletes from Russia compete on that basis.
I spent a fair amount of the time thinking about the Russian doping matter while I was out skiing today, and, while recognizing that there were many facts that I didn't know much or anything about, I tried to think about what I would have decided about how to handle what happened 4 years ago, had it been up to me. I ended up deciding that a precondition of any future Olympic participation by Russia would be a complete confession of what happened in Sochi and full cooperation in detailing the methods used and the people involved in the doping. And then, as another precondition, there should be apologies and in some way an attempt to make it up for what was taken from the athletes who were bumped out of the medals by doping athletes, or who were bumped down from the higher medal they deserved. What specifically that might entail, I have no idea.
And then as for the Russian athletes being allowed to compete in these just concluded games, on a "neutral basis", in the end I decided that even if you presume they had nothing whatsoever to do with what happened 4 years ago, and even if they were 100% clean (which now seems was not the case), too bad. I would have decided against allowing them to compete. At least in my own case while I was watching these games, I never thought of these athletes as being Olympic Athletes who just happened to be form Russia. Rather, almost at once I started thinking "Russia" anytime I saw the Olympic rings with "OAR" under them. They were Russians, and my guess is you wouldn't have to search to hard to find a Russian medal count somewhere from these Olympics.
I recognize that I was thinking about these things in a fairly abstract way, and probably fairly superficially. It was mostly just something to occupy the time while I was skiing. It wouldn't surprise me if there weren't many persuasive arguments to be made for handling this in a variety of different manners--arguments that I would find persuasive myself.