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Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Icarus (2017)

This documentary was also on the short list, and like Chasing Coral, it is available to stream on Netflix, which is so nice.  This is a story that I think started out as a demonstration by an amateur cyclist, Bryan Fogel about what doping can get you, and how easy it is to do it and evade detection.  He gets involved with famed Russian anti-doping figure Grigory Rodchenkov, who turns out to be not about anti-doping but about not getting caught doping.  He has elaborate measures that he takes and precise performance enhancing cocktails that  he matter-of-factly discusses in details on film.  And then the story takes a very interesting turn when the whole enterprise is uncovered on the international level, and the state sponsored doping program, which truthfully has probably been in place to a great extent for decades, became exposed, ultimately leading to the Russians being banned in the upcoming Winter Olympics, and with Rodchenkov entering a witness protection program after a couple of high level officials in Russia died unexpectedly.  Poisoning is still so Russian, even today.  Fascinating and thought provoking.

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