MOSCOW, December 9 (RAPSI) – Russian athletes taking part in winter and summer Olympics as well as sports officials, primarily from the Ministry of Sport and Russian Anti-doping Agency (RUSADA), were involved in manipulations with doping controls, the second part of the so-called McLaren Report published by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Friday.
The first part of the report was presented by Professor Richard McLaren from Canada acting as an independent person in a probe into alleged state-sponsored cover up and manipulation of the doping control process. At that time the authors stated that the Russian sport authorities were aware of these facts; moreover, certain officials directly participated in falsifications.
In the first part of the report it was alleged that the work of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory was aimed at protection of Russian athletes taking prohibited substances, whereas the Sochi anti-doping laboratory developed a system of samples swapping during the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The second part of the document says that “over 1,000 Russian athletes competing in summer, winter, and Paralympic sport could be identified as being involved in or benefitting from manipulations to conceal positive doping tests.”
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin yet on November 22 signed a law toughening punishment for doping-related violations. The law envisages more serious punishments for inducing athletes to use any substance and (or) method prohibited to be used in sports, and for athletes proven to take prohibited substances.
Moreover, at present a probe into alleged violations of anti-doping regulations in Russia on the part of athletes, coaches, and officials of the Ministry of Sport, RUSADA, the Anti-Doping Center and the Russian Athletics Federation is underway.
On 18 May 2016, Professor McLaren was appointed by WADA as the Independent Person (IP) to head an investigative team charged with determining the facts with respect to the allegations of manipulation of doping control samples and other allegations made by Dr. Gregory Rodchenkov, the former Director of the WADA-accredited Moscow Laboratory.
