S p45 o r t s FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2017 ‘Icarus’: Inside Russia’s Olympic doping scandal LOS ANGELES: When documentary filmmaker Bryan Fogel began looking into drugs in sport, he envisaged pulling off a bold stunt to show how easy it was to cheat anti-doping tests. Little did he know he would end up making a geopolitical thriller about Russian doping involving dirty urine, a troubling death and the biggest scandal in sporting history. Due for release on Netflix next Friday, Fogel’s “Icarus” shows how Russia corrupted the 2012 Olympics in London and 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, told through the eyes of the man who masterminded the fraud before defecting and turning FBI informant. It started out as a simple plan to recreate disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong’s blood doping regime and document exactly how easy it was to sail through the tests that ought to have caught the American. GALLE: India’s wicket keeper Wriddhiman Saha, left, successfully breaks the wicket to dismiss Sri Lanka’s Upul “The theory was, if this guy has been able to do this, what Tharanga, right, during the second day’s play of the first Test cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri has changed in the last four years since his confession and, Lanka, yesterday. — AP more importantly, what does this mean for all sport?” Fogel told AFP. He aimed to illustrate flaws in the system by using roughly the same blood-doping regime as Armstrong and CRICKET getting an expert to coach him through evading detection during his post-race urine tests. He ended up being intro- duced to Russian doctor Grigory Rodchenkov, who oversaw all drug testing for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Moscow’s World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) lab and, aston- India leave S Lanka ishingly, was only too happy to help. Fogel spent six months being coached by the charismatic, maverick Rodchenkov into taking a variety of substances including human growth hormone EPO, as the pair talked over Skype and met in Los Angeles and Moscow. reeling at 154-5 ‘SUICIDE’ PLOT GALLE: India’s bowlers tore through the a duck in the space of four balls. “A lot of our plans didn’t work... But Then, on November 9, 2015, WADA accused Rodchenkov in Sri Lankan top order to put the visitors cricket is like that, at least we could get a 335-page report after an 11-month investigation of being firmly on top on the second day of the PRADEEP HEROICS them out for 600.” Pujara hit 13 fours in the mastermind behind Russia’s massive, state-run doping first Test in Galle yesterday. Paceman Earlier, paceman Nuwan Pradeep his 265-ball knock to match his previous efforts. The international furor forced President Vladimir Putin Mohammed Shami picked two wickets clinched his maiden five-wicket Test Test best of 153 against South Africa at into making emphatic denials of state involvement on nation- in the same over and Umesh Yadav got haul, putting the brakes on India’s free ohannesburg in 2013. al television and promising “personalized and absolute” pun- rid of opener Dimuth Karunaratne after scoring. Pradeep (6-132) dismissed Hardik Pandya struck a half-century ishment for any individuals found culpable. India posted a commanding 600 all out, Pujara for 153, triggering a batting col- on debut as India’s last two wickets Over the next five days Rodchenkov was forced to resign, their biggest total in Sri Lanka. lapse which saw the tourists lose four added a quickfire 83 runs in 71 balls to had his lab shut down and had agents from the Federal Former captain Angelo Mathews was wickets in a lively first session after lift the side from 517 for 8. Shami hit Security Service (FSB) — formerly the KGB — moved into his batting on 54 with Dilruwan Perera on resuming the day at 399-3. Rangana Herath for three sixes while home. Contacts told him the intelligence services were plot- six when stumps were drawn for the “Though I didn’t start well, I thought I Pandya lofted Pradeep for as many sixes ting his “suicide.” Fearing for his life, Rodchenkov escaped to day, with Sri Lanka still trailing by 446 got better as I kept bowling. I got some in an attacking batting display by India’s the United States after Fogel bought him a plane ticket. runs with five wickets in hand. Indian rhythm,” said Pradeep who last played a lower order batsmen. Ajinkya Rahane The scientist arrived at Fogel’s home in Los Angeles with a batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who struck Test in January. “We came to the match (57) looked solid but was sent back to hard drive containing documents proving that state-spon- a solid 153, said he was pleased that with a plan. But the way the match went the pavilion after Karunaratne dived for sored doping had been going on for decades, not just in track India had lived up to its billing as the and given the state of the pitch, we had a low catch on his right off fast bowler and field but across a spectrum of Russian sports. His evidence number one Test side in the world. to change our plans. Lahiru Kumara.—AFP outlined how Rodchenkov had developed cutting-edge “We would like to maintain that stan- chemistry and, in Sochi, overseen an FSB operation to swap dard. We have scored enough runs, and out contaminated urine for clean samples. we’ve got five wickets today. We are Rodchenkov tells Fogel on camera that 30 of Russia’s 73 very well poised at this stage. “I think Cricket Australia ready medals in Beijing 2008 were aided by doping, as well as at the key for us, even in the last season, least half of the 81 medals won in London 2012. In February was that we’ve bowled really well. Our for arbitration in pay row last year, Rodchenkov’s close friend, former anti-doping bowlers are bowling good lines and agency chief Nikita Kamaev, died suddenly of what Russian lengths,” he said referring to India’s 10 MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia said game,” Sutherland told reporters in authorities called a “massive heart attack,” as he was planning wins in the last 13 Tests. Sri Lankan yesterday it will take its bitter pay dis- Melbourne. “We need players a book with Sunday Times journalist David Walsh on doping opener Upul Tharanga struck a defiant pute with players to independent employed, contracted, focused not in sport. Rodchenkov says his friend-the only other non-gov- 64 off 93 balls but was run out thanks to arbitration if agreement cannot be only on upcoming tours, but indeed ernment official in the world who knew about the doping a quick piece of fielding by Abhinav reached by early next week, with a an exciting season of cricket ahead. scandal-had never suffered heart problems. Mukund. tour to Bangladesh looming. Chief “We feel what the ACA (Australian “It was incredibly frightening. You realize that this changes Mukund, fielding at silly point, also executive James Sutherland said Cricketers’ Association) has proposed all of Olympic history, this is a spectacular scandal. They cheat- took a fine one-handed catch off unless intensive negotiations over the actually jeopardises not only the ed their $50 billion Olympics and won 32 medals, and Ravichandran Ashwin to send back next few days produce a compromise, Bangladesh tour, but in turn the India defrauded the world,” Fogel said. Niroshan Dickwella (eight) and reduce his organisation will seek the interven- one-day tour and even beyond that, the hosts to a shaky 143-5. Yadav gave tion of an industrial umpire-likely to dare I say it, the Ashes.” GETTING AWAY WITH IT his side an early breakthrough after the be a retired judge-to resolve the The ACA responded late yester- In May 2016 Fogel presented a spreadsheet to a meeting of Indian lower-order batsmen scored at a impasse. day saying it will be working to leading global anti-doping officials naming every single ath- quick pace despite losing wickets at reg- The first match on the Test tour of resolve its dispute with CA. lete on Russia’s programme and what they were taking in ular intervals. Bangladesh is due to start on August “Arbitration is an adversarial process London-and revealed he had the same for the 2008 Beijing Yadav had Karunaratne trapped leg 22, followed by a one-day tour to India more akin to a court room,” the ACA Games. before and although the batsman went in September and October ahead of said in a statement. “A further con- “The entire system, essentially from the advent, was how for a review, the decision was upheld the showpiece home Ashes series, cern is the time it would take for an do you dope and get away with it,” Fogel told AFP. “Grigory after replays showed the ball pitching beginning in November. arbiter to meaningfully understand was this genius scientist who was creating tests that were on the middle stump. Shami, making his “We are at the stage now where we the complexities of revenue sharing catching athletes, and on the same hand he was developing Test comeback after an injury layoff, need to address this situation and in elite professional sport and then the ‘anti-venom,’ so that Russian athletes can get away with then dismissed debutant Danushka cricket needs to get on with the to make judgement.— AFP the test he’s developed to catch other athletes.”—AFP Gunathilaka for 16 and Kusal Mendis for.