Russia protected athletes who used doping in competitions, investigation says.
A report by an independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), confirming a widespread doping scheme involving Russian athletes with state support at the Sochi Winter Olympics, has increased international calls for a complete ban on the country from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. According to the document, a Moscow anti-doping laboratory protected Russian athletes during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games with the approval of national sports authorities.
Reuters - A widespread doping scheme involving Russian athletes with state support at the Sochi Winter Olympics was confirmed on Monday in a report by an independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), increasing international calls for a complete ban on the country from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
According to the report, led by professor and sports lawyer Richard McLaren and released at a press conference in Toronto, a Moscow anti-doping laboratory protected Russian athletes during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
McLaren, who was a member of the independent WADA commission that last year exposed widespread doping and corruption in Russian athletics, said that the Russian Ministry of Sport oversaw the manipulation of doping test results for Russian athletes and the swapping of samples.
The findings in McLaren's report deepen the crisis surrounding Russian athletes, which has generated a growing movement to ban the country from the Rio 2016 Games, which begin on August 5.
The report addressed accusations made by the former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, who two months ago told the New York Times that dozens of Russians used banned substances to enhance their performance in Sochi with the approval of national sports authorities.