The former head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) has revealed his part in an astonishing state-run doping programme before and during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
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Rodchenkov’s revelations marked the first time he’d spoken to the media since a WADA independent commission report in November concluded he’d helped lead a state-sponsored doping program with the track and field team by destroying urine samples and covering up positive tests.
“I think we have to analyze all the information ourselves but we would be stupid if we didn’t look at that carefully to do that, to take steps that might be better”, Howman said.
He waved a thick folder which he said contained all his doping samples over the last three years. “No ban was mentioned in the body of the letter”.
Rodchenkov, fearing for his safety and now living at a secret location in Los Angeles, made the sensational claims to the New York Times on Thursday.
A Kremlin spokesman denied Rodchenkov’s allegations, made in an interview with the New York Times, saying they amounted to “slander by a turncoat”.
Two of the sportsmen named in the New York Times report, cross-country skier Alexander Legkov and bobsledder Alexander Zubkov, on Friday rejected the allegations against them as “nonsense and slanderous”.
If the evidence shows the Russian bobsled teams were involved, they could lose their gold medals, which would give Holcomb two silver medals to go with the gold he won in the four-man event in 2010.
The spreadsheet was not published and there was no way to verify it.
He was identified by Wada as the linchpin of an extensive state-sponsored doping programme in Russian Federation, accusing him of extorting money from athletes – the only accusation he denies – as well as covering up positive drug tests and destroying hundreds of urine samples.
Zubkov and Legkov later threatened to sue Rodchenkov for defamation, with Zubkov calling the accusations are “simply lunacy”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) stands next to Alexander Zubkov, gold medalist in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh for Russia, during the Closing Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics on February 23, 2014.
The government continues to back Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, Peskov added.
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“We should accept that a mistake has been made and we should make an appeal to WADA and make efforts to comply with the Code before the two months remaining to Olympic Games”, he said.
“(Russia) did not have the opportunity to influence in any way the system of doping control procedures, storage and transport”, Nagornykh said.
Kenya’s track and field athletes won’t be banned from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro despite serious concerns over the African country’s anti-doping program, the IAAF said Friday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has asked that Rodchenkov’s allegations be investigated immediately by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
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“We are just going to meet with them and listen to their sentiments and come and implement them because what is important now is not arguing with them or them with us”, he said.
