McLaren, a member of the three-person WADA Independent Commission which published allegations of systemic and state sponsored doping in Russian athletics late past year, will be considering the claims made by Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of the Russian Anti-Doping Laboratory.
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“60 Minutes” also aired a report last week with a whistleblower who said he sent 200 emails and 50 letters about Russian doping to WADA, but was told the agency didn’t have the power to investigate inside the country.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko dismissed Rodchenkov’s claims as “silliness”.
“But I think it’s a process, and I think over time we will get better because they’re (WADA) doing such a good job”.
President Vladimir Putin on Friday said Russian Federation will give “every assistance” to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) inspectors probing allegations of organised doping among its Olympic athletes. “If there are any doubts, then they need to be excluded”.
Dozens of Russian sports people risk being excluded from global competitions, including this summer’s Olympics in Rio, after whistleblowers alleged there was a systematic doping programme operating for years in Russian sport. “It should be an honest battle”.
The leader of the U.S. Olympic Committee says the latest anti-doping headlines make it “increasingly hard to defend the current system”.
“It comes amid politically-driven restrictions against our country, but I hope that WADA’s action has no relation to that”, he said.
The Russians have been accused of state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
It was during those games, according to an interview Rodchenkov gave to the New York Times, that Russian anti-doping officials ran a clandestine night-time operation to cover up Russian competitors’ positive test results.
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On June 17, track’s governing body, the IAAF, will decide whether Russia’s suspended track team can compete in Rio.
