Icarus
Icarus, which won the 2018 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, is about the shadowy world of doping in international sport. Bryan Fogel, an amateur cyclist, sets out to show that anyone can game the system if they have the desire. Shortly after beginning his doping regimen, he is put in touch with Grigory Rodchenkov, the director of RUSADA (Russian Anti-Doping Agency), who helps him to mask his performance enhancement drug use. But what unfolds after is an international thriller as RUSADA is investigated and Rodchenkov flees to the United States. The information that Rodchenkov reveals to the world helped cause the partial ban of Russian athletes in the 2016 and 2018 Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
Released 2017; Runtime 121 minutes
Concepts
- Doping: Bryan Fogel uses testosterone, HGH, and EPO, (a similar regimen to that of Lance Armstrong), and actually shows the injections; Through working with Rodchenkov, he is also able to mask his use.
- Confidence: Bryan feels much more confident going into his second Haute Route, the top competition for amateur cyclists, after spending nearly a year doping; His confidence drops dramatically after he finishes in 27th place (compared to 14th the year before) due to bike issues and bad luck, even after doping.
- Olympics: Rodchenkov details how RUSADA masked their athletes' use of performance enhancing drugs during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics; Features interviews with top international sports officials throughout as well.
- Political Issues: The doping and efforts to mask its use are alleged to have been approved of by the highest levels of the Russian government; Rodchenkov escapes to the United States as he fears for his life and meets with the FBI.