The 350-page report directly accused the Russian state of complicity and said the widespread doping could be “state-sponsored”, even if no written evidence of government involvement was found. Two of the athletes are the gold and bronze medal winners in the 800 metres in 2012, Olympic champion Mariya Savinova and bronze medallist Ekaterina Poistogova.
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“In its considered view”, the commission said, “Russia is not the only country, nor athletics the only sport, facing the problem of orchestrated doping”.
“Moscow’s anti-doping lab was recently recognized as one of the world’s best”, added Mutko. It has no basis because the doping tests which are done are collected from the athletes by WADA commissioners themselves. We all take anti-doping very seriously.
The Olympic flag flies next to the Russian flag during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. This time, the World Anti-Doping Agency has recommended that the entire Russian team for track and field be barred from the 2016 Summer Olympics.
It outlines a culture of cheating in which Pound said Russian coaches were “out of control” and expected the Russian anti-doping agency to protect their athletes rather than catch them.
“I don’t think it frankly detracts at all from the success of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games but we must hope that Seb Coe and the authorities in global athletics clear it up as soon as possible”.
The report examines claims of doping, cover-ups, and extortion in Russian athletics, which also implicated the IAAF, the sport’s world governing body. “That is not to say we have presupposed or prejudged but we need to understand more about this”. However, I have urged the Council to start the process of considering sanctions against All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF).This step has not been taken lightly. “Our athletes, partners and fans have my total assurance that where there are failures in our governance or our anti-doping programs we will fix them”, he added. “The IAAF will continue to offer the police authorities our full cooperation into their ongoing investigation”.
In August, when still IAAF vice-president, and prior to his election as Diack’s successor, Coe Labelled a report by Britain’s Sunday Times revealing the existence of an IAAF file detailing thousands of athletes with suspiciously high blood values, as a “declaration of war on my sport”.
The panel also raised suspicions that Russian Federation may have has been using an obscure laboratory on the outskirts of Moscow to help cover up doping, possibly by pre-screening athletes’ samples and ditching those that test positive.
“Sanctions could follow. Yes, it is possible that we could end up with a suspension”.
Allegations involving the orgnisation Coe heads up, the IAAF, were not published in the report as they are part of an Interpol probe.
“I’m heartened that it has come to light and Russian Federation hasn’t got away with it”, she said.
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Russian Federation were also accused of running a “state-supported” doping programme.
