Documentary Project Summary - Icarus
Icarus
2017
Written and Directed by Bryan Fogel
Bryan Fogel has always dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist. After 28 years of competing as an amateur, he now has a passion to become a top rider in what is called the hardest amateur bicycle race in the world, the Haute Route through the French Alps. Bryan has also become interested in the scandal that has plagued professional cycling since Lance Armstrong was busted using banned, performance enhancing drugs to win the Tour De France. Doping, as it's referred to, is the use of banned drugs and chemicals by athletes to gain an unfair advantage. To compete in the Haute Route, and to prove the measures in place to test athletes for performance enhancing drugs is flawed, Bryan enlists the help of scientists to advise him on a doping regimen. Bob Catlin, Founder of the UCLA Olympic Lab personally tested Lance Armstrong during his career at least 50 times and each test came out clean, despite the fact that Armstrong admitted to using drugs later. Bob agrees to advise Bryan at first but then backs out for fear of ruining his reputation so he introduces Bryan to a colleague who might help.
Grigory Rodchenkov, Bob Catlin's Russian counterpart agrees to speak with Bryan. Rodchenkov is the lab director for Russia's World Anti Doping Agency approved laboratory, and works with Russia's Olympic team. He is more than happy to help Bryan during his doping program and to advise him on how to pass any testing. Bryan provides Rodchenkov with all the info he can on his regimen - names of the drugs, doses, and schedule of injections. The drugs are prescribed by Anti-aging specialist Scott A. Brandt, M.D. in the form of injections that Bryan must give himself every day for a scheduled period of time. Once the injections begin, Bryan begins his training for the Haute Route. Because what Bryan is doing is against WADA regulations, he and Rodchenkov must conduct their experiment in secrecy.
The story takes a turn when the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) begins to investigate the 2014 Russian Olympic team for doping during the Sochi Olympics. Rodchenkov, being the lead scientist for the Russian lab responsible for testing these athletes becomes a central figure in the investigation. Bryan and Grigory are all the sudden thrust into the what is said to the be the greatest doping scandal in sports history and the top Russian government officials, including Vladimir Putin are implicated in the scandal.
Richard Pound, the founder of WADA, has been tasked with leading the investigation against Rodchenkov and the Russians. A German newspaper article claimed that 99% of the Russian athletes in the Sochi Olympics were doping. Because the Russian government is also implicated in the scandal Rodchenkov begins to fear for his life and flies to Los Angeles to stay with Bryan while the investigation is ongoing. Russian scientists involved in the scandal begin to be found dead and Rodchenkov becomes fearful for his life and his family.
The investigation by WADA concludes that the allegations of Russian Olympic doping are true and ban many Russian athletes from participating in the following Olympic games. They also conclude that Rodchenkov be removed from his position and that the only way this could have happened would be with state participation, meaning that they believe the Russian government was in on the scandal. "State sponsored doping," is what the media called it.
Rodchenkov admits to Bryan that there is a state sponsored doping scandal in Russia and that a system is in place for the athletes to pass any and all testing. He also admits that he is the scientist in charge of this program. He then explained to Bryan how the Russians and the KGB secretly swapped out urine samples during the Sochi games in an elaborate plot.
To this day, even with all the evidence, Russia denies all allegations of a state sponsored doping program for their athletes. They claim the investigation is politically motivated. The recurring theme of George Orwell's 1984, and Rodchenkov's quoting of the book throughout becomes central to the plot as all sides accuse eachother of wrongdoing.
2017
Written and Directed by Bryan Fogel
Bryan Fogel has always dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist. After 28 years of competing as an amateur, he now has a passion to become a top rider in what is called the hardest amateur bicycle race in the world, the Haute Route through the French Alps. Bryan has also become interested in the scandal that has plagued professional cycling since Lance Armstrong was busted using banned, performance enhancing drugs to win the Tour De France. Doping, as it's referred to, is the use of banned drugs and chemicals by athletes to gain an unfair advantage. To compete in the Haute Route, and to prove the measures in place to test athletes for performance enhancing drugs is flawed, Bryan enlists the help of scientists to advise him on a doping regimen. Bob Catlin, Founder of the UCLA Olympic Lab personally tested Lance Armstrong during his career at least 50 times and each test came out clean, despite the fact that Armstrong admitted to using drugs later. Bob agrees to advise Bryan at first but then backs out for fear of ruining his reputation so he introduces Bryan to a colleague who might help.
Grigory Rodchenkov, Bob Catlin's Russian counterpart agrees to speak with Bryan. Rodchenkov is the lab director for Russia's World Anti Doping Agency approved laboratory, and works with Russia's Olympic team. He is more than happy to help Bryan during his doping program and to advise him on how to pass any testing. Bryan provides Rodchenkov with all the info he can on his regimen - names of the drugs, doses, and schedule of injections. The drugs are prescribed by Anti-aging specialist Scott A. Brandt, M.D. in the form of injections that Bryan must give himself every day for a scheduled period of time. Once the injections begin, Bryan begins his training for the Haute Route. Because what Bryan is doing is against WADA regulations, he and Rodchenkov must conduct their experiment in secrecy.
The story takes a turn when the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) begins to investigate the 2014 Russian Olympic team for doping during the Sochi Olympics. Rodchenkov, being the lead scientist for the Russian lab responsible for testing these athletes becomes a central figure in the investigation. Bryan and Grigory are all the sudden thrust into the what is said to the be the greatest doping scandal in sports history and the top Russian government officials, including Vladimir Putin are implicated in the scandal.
Richard Pound, the founder of WADA, has been tasked with leading the investigation against Rodchenkov and the Russians. A German newspaper article claimed that 99% of the Russian athletes in the Sochi Olympics were doping. Because the Russian government is also implicated in the scandal Rodchenkov begins to fear for his life and flies to Los Angeles to stay with Bryan while the investigation is ongoing. Russian scientists involved in the scandal begin to be found dead and Rodchenkov becomes fearful for his life and his family.
The investigation by WADA concludes that the allegations of Russian Olympic doping are true and ban many Russian athletes from participating in the following Olympic games. They also conclude that Rodchenkov be removed from his position and that the only way this could have happened would be with state participation, meaning that they believe the Russian government was in on the scandal. "State sponsored doping," is what the media called it.
Rodchenkov admits to Bryan that there is a state sponsored doping scandal in Russia and that a system is in place for the athletes to pass any and all testing. He also admits that he is the scientist in charge of this program. He then explained to Bryan how the Russians and the KGB secretly swapped out urine samples during the Sochi games in an elaborate plot.
To this day, even with all the evidence, Russia denies all allegations of a state sponsored doping program for their athletes. They claim the investigation is politically motivated. The recurring theme of George Orwell's 1984, and Rodchenkov's quoting of the book throughout becomes central to the plot as all sides accuse eachother of wrongdoing.
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