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Well, many women's teams withdrew. So can't host replace one of them? 10 teams could participate but only 8 arrived and Russia joined them. If Russia didn't participate we could also say that two winning teams can't go to Olympics -- they didn't prove their power comparing with two absent teams! It's a common rule that a host nation can participate in the events, and it doesn't matter what this event is. Actually there should be reasons WHY hosts don't participate, like no true rugby team or ineligeble athletes. Does really hosting of two beach volleyball events in 4 years mean to you that Russia controls FIVB? Oh, it's a paranoia actually.

well, at this point Brazil should withdraw from most Olympic events and give up medals if they win there. it's a usual practice in sport to allow hosts participate. it might be unfair to those who didn't qualify but sport is a whole unfair thing Sochi was decided as a host city long before CEV cup finals. so it wasn't like Russia didn't manage to qualify and then suddenly took someone's place just because it hosts the final event

well. there are 15 non-champions, which might be Russians

any link to that?

well, he's supposed to compete at russian championships soon, he has no problems with doping yet

well, it should be now 5 men and 3 women, if i counted correctly

and other three athletes as well, so Oympic quotas will be changed

Ekaterina Gamova wasn't called in the lastest russian women's squad, she hopes she will be n Olympic team

Prepare for Kazakhstan coach Andrey Nazarov)

Varlamov is injuried, for Yakupov and Tikhonov it's not a surprise. But Anisimov could be a good mate for Panarin

Varlamov is injuried, for Yakupov and Tikhonov it's not a surprise. But Anisimov could be a good mate for Panarin

That's all very correct but there are 5 athletes who have second chance. the whole possible roster can be 40 athletes

WADA allows to have less then 1 microgramm of meldonium in tests taken before 1st March. So many cases will be rewatched

no, team is supposed to depart on 8th April. tomorrow open training is cancelled. but tomorrow final roster will be announced yes, there are rumors about meldonium, but they started from yellow media. but i won't surprise if they are true...

Tatiana Kashirina misses European championships but says it's not about doping

bronze medalists Switzerland didn't qualify directly... now let's preare to crazy scores in qualifying tournaments

RUSSIA Hi everyone! I humbly decided to nominate song by my own band JRBS -- "Lock and load". We recorded it last year in domestic conditions. The lyrics and main piano theme is mine, the rest of music and production are of my friend Franz Steiner. Hope you enjoy it!

and also Sergey Bakulin should lose 2011 title

CAS issued full disqualification of 6 russian athletes. Sergey Kirdyapkin loses Olympic gold, the same about Yualiya Zaripova, Olga Kaniskina loses silver

Efimova is the next meldronat user. A life-time ban is coming.

Ivanov and Sozonov won All-England in men's doubles. A crazy result

Russia is in!

and why wasn't it forbidden earlier since it appeared in 1970s? some countries even don't admit meldronat's efficiency and don't sell it because it's useless. well, it has some effect which matches its low price, that is why it is popular in Russia among athletes who have heart problems or want to recover quicker after trainings. WADA's logic to forbid meldronat was that people who take it might also take other drugs. well, it looks like people who have knives at home might be killers. I don't mind that mildronat is forbidden, but the appearing cases just show how stupid athletes are and don't notice that something gets forbidden. imagine that aspirine gets forbidden. i'm sure that many athletes around the world would make mistake and continue taking it. and they will be concidered as cheaters because they took a medicine a month after it became illegal

doctors here say that it's a useless thing, just a placebo. it hepls to someone feel better after hard trainings and the only advantage is extremely low price