Introduction
Rebecca R. Ruiz is a reporter from the New York Times who has also published work in The Huffington Post, The Atlantic, and many more respected news outlets. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkely and is know a highly sought after journalist. This particular report from Ruiz titled “Russia’s Track and Field Team Barred From Rio Olympics” was published in the New York Times on June 17th, 2016 and went on to receive the Polk Award for Sports Reporting.
Summary
“You can’t have faith in anybody who is Russian”. Ruiz quotes many people in her piece on Russia’s track and field team, and this quote from Lauryn Williams, a track and field and bobsled athlete from the United States, is just one of the many. All of the quotes Ruiz includes in her piece seem to point to the idea that Russia has and always will be considered “sketchy” in the Olympics due to their extensive history involving the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The nation had been accused of “an elaborate government run doping program” and ever since then, Ruiz claims that Russian officials have been “striven to persuade global decision makers that they could be trusted in coming Olympics competitions. Despite these intense efforts by Russia, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been incredibly tough and stubborn on allowing the athletes to compete once again. Ruiz includes another quote from Rune Andersen, the chairman of the I.A.A.F. task force that is monitoring Russia, claiming, ““Two or five or 100 negative tests do not mean an athlete is clean”. Ruiz points to the idea that many are aware that not every single Russian athlete cheated throughout the Olympics, however, some are receiving punishment regardless. Throughout Ruiz’s entire analysis of the situation regarding Russia, there is an underlying main claim that the agencies fighting against doping in the Olympics are incredibly stubborn and strong. Even with a country as big as Russia and with all the effort they have put into being seen as a clean country who supports the fight against doping, WADA and other agencies like the International Olympic Committee itself refuse to let them back into the games without a serious fight.
Olympic Drug Use 