The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has called for Russian Federation to be banned from this summer’s Rio Olympics and asked global sports governing bodies to bar Russian Federation until “culture change” is achieved.
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McLaren says it’s up to other sports bodies like the International Olympic Committee and WADA to determine the next steps. “Therefore, the International Olympic Committee will not hesitate to take the toughest sanctions available against any individual or organisation implicated”, Thomas Bach, the president of International Olympic Committee, states in a press release.
The suspension was upheld following an IAAF Council meeting in June, though a rule amendment means that Russians may still be able to compete at the Rio Olympic Games and other worldwide competitions as “neutral” athletes.
“The Ministry of Sport directed, controlled and oversaw the manipulation of athletes’ analytical results or sample swapping”, said the report.
The US Anti-Doping Agency condemned the “mind-blowing level of corruption” unearthed by the report, which was commissioned following claims made by a Russian whistleblower.
The World Anti-Doping Agency had McLaren investigate allegations made by former Rodchenkov following the report.
The International Olympic Committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss possible sanctions on the Russian Olympic team. “The Sochi laboratory operated a unique sample-swapping methodology to enable doped Rusian athletes to compete at the Winter Games”.
McLaren said “100% of the bottles had been scratched” but added that would “not have been visible to the untrained eye”. The plan was executed with the assistance of Russia’s national security service, the FSB, the main successor agency to the Soviet KGB.
Russia’s deputy minister of sports would direct lab workers which positive samples to send through and which to hold back.
More than 240 of the 312 “Saves” came from track and field and wrestling, but other sports involved included swimming, rowing, snowboarding – and even table tennis.
Opening Ceremonies for the Rio Olympics begin August 5.
The WADA report found the Russian Government operated “a state-dictated failsafe system” of doping, including at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
“This campaign is apparently based on information received by the WADA commission led by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, though this report should remain independent and completely confidential until the date of its release”, Zhukov said.
However, in the light of Monday’s report, with a wide group of sports bodies now calling for a blanket ban, a broad sanction could now be on the cards.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) released a statement early this morning saying the findings were: “shocking and deeply concerning” and that its thoughts are “with the clean athletes around the world that have been negatively impacted by the long-term systematic cheating”.
He was relying on the IOC and global sports federations to figure out appropriate sanctions.
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In response to the report and call for a ban, Russian officials lashed out at their critics.
