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RIO DE JANEIRO -- A public shaming at the Olympic Games isnt pretty.After the scandal of state-organized Russian cheating and Olympic officials spineless response, it perhaps was only a matter of when, not if, a Russian athlete in Rio would be booed and blamed.Olympians and fans are disgusted. Understandably so. Revelations that Russian officials erased doping positives, flushed away dirty urine samples and gave cheats a clean bill of health are sickening. So, too, was the International Olympic Committees refusal to ban Russia outright from the Rio de Janeiro Games.But swimmer Yulia Efimova is a poor poster child for Russias deceit.Yes, the 24-year-old is Russian. And, yes, she did positive in 2013 for a banned steroid, DHEA. That doesnt, however, automatically make her a doper. Three arbitrators, none of them Russian, who heard Efimovas case and banned her from competition for 16 months were clear about that.They ruled that she clearly was not intentionally cheating and she did not intend to enhance sport performance.Instead, they determined, Efimova was negligent. The legal supplement she bought at a store near her home in California contained DHEA. It even said so on the label. But Efimova naively believed the store clerk who told her the product was OK and did not read the label herself, they determined.Foolish, then, but not Lance Armstrong.The arbitrators noted that Efimova impressed them as sincere and honest and appropriately remorseful for her mistake. She did not seek to blame others for her rule violation and she accepted responsibility for her actions.These all-important nuances got drowned in the Olympic pool.The Cold War-ish narrative of a feisty 19-year-old American, Lilly King, striking a blow for clean athletes by staring down and beating the Russian was too appealing to let all the facts get in the way.Another U.S. swimmer, Cody Miller, even went so far as to liken his teammates defeat of Efimova in the 100-meter breaststroke to the movie Rocky IV, where Sylvester Stallones boxer knocks out juiced-up Soviet monster Ivan Drago.BOOOOM!! Miller tweeted. AMERICA PREVAILS!!Get a grip.Howard Jacobs, the California lawyer who represented Efimova in her 2014 case heard by the doping panel for swimmings governing body, FINA, says ire against her is misplaced.Its not that everyone who tests positive is evil, he said in a phone interview. There are very few athletes who take the time to understand anti-doping until they are actually thrown into an anti-doping case because of a mistake that they make.For the record, FINA also cleared Efimova for the six times meldonium was found in her drug-test samples in February and March this year. The Latvian-made heart drug was routinely taken by East European athletes before the World Anti-Doping Agency banned its use at the start of the year. But the science behind the ban was incomplete and WADA subsequently issued new guidelines allowing athletes to be cleared in some cases.FINA said the amount of meldonium in Efimovas samples was very low and that its doping panel concluded that she wasnt at fault.WADA could have challenged FINAs decision and appealed but did not, judging that the federation handled the case correctly.Those are the rules.Efimovas rivals may not like them. They may not like her. But should they ever run afoul of those same rules, theyll also want a fair shake and likely be on the phone to lawyers like Jacobs.When they hear stories about contaminated supplements, they think its all BS, he said. They dont believe it until it happens to them.If swimmers need a target, they should aim at FINA instead. The federation awarded Russian President Vladimir Putin its highest honor, the FINA Order, in 2014 for what it gushed was his great contribution to strengthen the fraternity between nations, improve the lifestyle and education of the youth in Russia and promote a healthier society.That coziness, always inappropriate, now looks just horrible in the wake of the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal.The next time King takes to the Olympic pool -- she and Efimova race in 200-meter heats on Wednesday -- it would be good to hear her take a stand on that.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester China Shoes Outlet . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Cheap Shoes From China . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. https://www.chinashoesshop.com/ . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. China Shoes Nike .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. China Shoes Free Shipping . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson.Mark Warburton believes his Rangers side will get the perfect preparation for the Scottish Cup final when they face Tottenham at the Londoners training base on Wednesday. Gers face the Premier League side in a behind-closed-doors friendly as they step up plans for their Hampden date with Hibernian, live on Sky Sports on May 21. It is unlikely the Scottish Championship winners will come up against many of Mauricio Pochettinos star names but Warburton believes the work-out is just what his side need as they chase a treble, having claimed the Petrofac Training Cup prior to securing the second tier title.When asked what strength of Spurs side he expects his side to face, he told RangersTV: Well find out, but whatever it will be it will be a technically gifted, very athletic team.Its always a stern challenge and its a magnificent training base, one of the very best in Europe, theres no doubt about that. So we know it will be a tough test and its what we need, we need that sharpener and that will hold us in good stead for the 21st. Rangers players celebrate winning the Petrofac Training Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park, Glasgow The match will take place at Tottenhams Enfield training base and Warburton insists Rangers can learn a lot from the club he supports.Its important for us in terms of it being the final game before the cup final, so that is the obvious benefit of that, he added.Were veery thankful to Spurs for their hospitality, they are a tremendous club and we can learn a lot from Tottenham.dddddddddddd I know Im talking as a Spurs fan here but forget the bias, their academy is first class with a number of players coming through. Dominic Ball returning to Spurs with Rangers You look at Harry Kane, Tom Carroll, Ryan Mason, Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore. Nabil Bentaleb is now coming through and so is Alex Pritchard. Its a fantastic academy. We have Dom Ball here whos been a credit to Spurs and to himself.Dom has come up and the players are hungry, so we are delighted to have a good relationship with Spurs and well go down there and look forward to what will be a very challenging game. Former Brentford boss Warburton also hopes to use the match to showcase Rangers as a potential destination should Spurs look to send out more of their youngsters on loan.Weve taken players in the past, we had young Alex Pritchard at Brentford last year, Dom Ball this year, said Warburton.Again, this shows we can create that environment that is conducive to the players development and hopefully strengthen the relationship with Tottenham. Also See: Rangers video Rangers fixtures Rangers stats Sky Bet Club Get a £10 free bet! ' ' '
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