Full National Suspensions?

The World Anti-Doping Agency was upset that the IOC didn't follow through on its suggestion to ban the entire Russian Olympic Team from the Rio games.  Instead, the IOC left the decision up to the individual sports federations, which, with the notable exception of track & field, for the most part, let the Russians compete.  WADA doesn't want that to happen again in PyeongChang, and they've taken steps to make sure it doesn't.

Even though the WADA code isn't due to be updated until 2021, they hope to have their proposals put into place by early next year, which would mean in time for the PyeongChang Olympics.  And the main change that they seek is the ability to suspend entire nations for egregious anti-doping offenses.

Obviously Russia is the most notable country that has a doping problem (in a separate move, WADA forced RUSADA to remove Yelena Isinbayeva as their anti-doping head, which was a questionable move to begin with).  But they're far from alone.  There are a significant amount of doping issues in weightlifting, and nine different countries have had their national teams banned in that sport, Russia being one of them.

Under this new code, WADA would have the power to suspend a country's entire Olympic delegation for major doping violations.  It would obviously be subject to appeals, but the decisions would no longer be made on a sport-by-sport basis.  Either the entire national team is suspended or the entire national team is eligible.  No more gray area.  No more questions about the "guilt" or "innocence" of one team from a particular country.  And, hopefully, no more athletes being jeered simply because they're from that country.

I don't think we're talking about mass suspensions at every Olympics here, either.  I think WADA was simply looking for an option that would be the ultimate deterrent.  Their own version of the NCAA "death penalty" that shut down SMU football in the '80s.  And there's no better deterrent in international sport that telling an entire national team that it's not allowed to participate in the Olympics.

This is the nuclear option.  Everyone knows that.  That's the whole point.  In many people's eyes, Russia got off easy.  Basically it was only the Russian track team that was kept out of the Rio Games.  A vast majority of sporting leaders felt that wasn't enough.  They didn't want the Russians there at all.  Neither did WADA.  And considering the lack of progress Russia has made in cleaning up its act, they needed something on the table that would motivate them to get their act together.  The threat of a complete ban might be the only way to do that.

Keep in mind that there isn't a single person that wants to see an entire national team banned from an Olympics.  The boycotts of 1980 and 1984 proved how damaging (and incomplete) it is when the whole world isn't there.  But this new code is a good thing.  Because that threat needs to be there.  Sadly, that might be the only way to guarantee the necessary reforms in the countries in question.

And, again, we're not talking about isolated cases of one team from a given country.  We're talking about systematic doping at the state level.  And all indications are that Russia's problems run from the top down.  It's this type of government-sponsored doping that would be grounds for an entire national team to be prohibited from Olympic participation.  In cases involving individual sports, I'm sure that would still be left up to the individual federations.

For their part, each international sporting federation would have to adhere to the new WADA guidelines, which would be standardized across the board.  This uniform code would hopefully make things easier to follow, since the same rules that apply to archery would also apply to wrestling.

Perhaps most importantly, they would establish a new Independent Testing Authority.  No longer would it fall strictly under WADA's umbrella to administer tests and dole out punishments to violators.  This five-person ITA would consist of a President, an IOC member, an athlete, a representative from an international federation, and a neutral expert.  Everyone would have a seat at the table, so it will be clear to all parties.  The ITA wouldn't be required, and federations could use it as often or as little as they wish.  But the sheer fact that you're not relying solely on WADA is good for all involved.

While the tight time frame means this system probably won't be in place before the PyeongChang Games, it does look like it's going to happen.  Which, I think we can all agree, is a good thing.  Because no one wants to see an entire country banned from an Olympics, and the threat of that possibility should be enough to scare the violators straight and pave the way for the reform that's so desperately needed.