The negative implications of Russia’s doping scandal on the country’s international image

Anna Kobierecka; Michał Marcin Kobierecki

doi:10.18778/1427-9657.08.07

Authors

Anna Kobierecka University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland, Faculty of International Relations and Political Science https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2492-6452
Michał Marcin Kobierecki University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland, Faculty of International Relations and Political Science https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8180-5710

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1427-9657.08.07

Keywords:

Russia, doping, sports diplomacy, nation branding, image of a country

Abstract

In December 2014, Russia was accused of developing a state-organized doping system in the second decade of the twenty-first century. The scandal resulted in many Russian athletes being banned from competing in the Olympics in Rio in 2016 and the IOC’s suspension of the Russian National Olympic Committee prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. The research presented in this article aims to answer the research question of whether the doping scandal actually affected the international image of Russia. The research was conducted with the use of frame analysis of public discourse. The hypothesis to be tested states that the Russian doping scandal contributed to the intensification of a negative external image of this state.

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