Russian government reacts angrily to claims of widespread doping among its athletes
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attend the Commonwealth of Independent States leaders summit Oct. 16.
The Kremlin lashed back on Tuesday against accusations of widespread doping among Russia’s track and field athletes.
The reaction came a day after a World Anti-Doping Agency commission claimed that coaches, team doctors and even government officials took part in an orchestrated cheating scheme.
“Whenever any charges are made, there must be some evidence they rely on,” Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told the Itar-Tass news agency. “As long as there has been no proof, it is hard to react to any accusations, which look rather groundless.”
The report from WADA’s independent commission addressed the alarming number of Russian athletes who have tested positive in recent years.
It listed evidence that, among other things, coaches and doctors had pressured athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs and had cooperated in an effort to avoid detection. Allegedly, some positive results were suppressed as members of Russia’s counterintelligence service, the FSB, infiltrated a Moscow testing lab to intimidate personnel.
WADA revoked its accreditation of that lab on Tuesday, directing samples to be sent to a facility outside the country.
The Russian sports ministry initially said it was aware of problems within the track federation and had replaced key leaders. The reaction on Tuesday turned considerably angrier.
Vitaly Mutko, the country’s sports minister who is also facing scrutiny, referred to unfair treatment.
“But I believe that such exaggerated attention is currently on us, because we are always competing for the top possible results,” he was quoted as saying. “That is why we are under a closer focus compared with the rest.”
As a result of the findings, Russian track athletes could be banned from future competition, including the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
International sports officials said the ban could be avoided if the Russian track federation takes up immediate reforms.
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