Today published a report by the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) led by Richard McLaren on doping scams at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov.
After the publication of the report, WADA spokesman Ben Nichols called on to deny Russian athletes access to international competitions, including the Rio Olympics, “until cultural changes take place in the country.” Later, WADA officially recommended to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to admit all athletes declared by Russia to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – both Olympians and Paralympians. In addition, WADA recommended not to allow Russian officials to participate in sports competitions, including the 2016 Olympics, stop the accreditation of the Moscow Doping Laboratory, and the FIFA Ethics Committee to investigate its member, Russian Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko.
The IOC called the facts revealed by the report “a shocking and unprecedented attack on the ideals of sport and the Olympic movement.” “Therefore, the IOC will not stop at the most severe possible sanctions against all involved – both individuals and organizations,” the official website of the statement of the head of the IOC Thomas Bach. The IOC will carefully study the report. However, on Tuesday, July 19, a telephone meeting of the IOC Executive Council will take place, which may decide on sanctions in relation to the 2016 Olympics.
The main conclusion of the McLaren commission’s report is that the leadership of Russian sports knew and actively participated in manipulating the results of doping tests, which in Russia were systemic at the state level. In 2012-2015. the proven Disappearing Positive Methodology (DPM) was applied to at least 643 positive doping tests. As a result, 89% of the positive results of Russians who were deemed worthy of “salvation” (medalists, promising athletes) were included as negative, the report says.
The authors argue that the decision-making chain to “save” the athlete included Deputy Minister of Sports Yuri Nagornykh, whom the WADA Commission calls the chief curator of DPM, Natalya Zhelanova, Advisor to the Minister of Sports on Anti-Doping Assurance, and Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko himself.
“All positive results of doping screening tests were reported by the Deputy Minister of Sports along with the names of the athletes, which completely contradicts the WADA standards for doping laboratories. He was also instructed to ‘save’ or ‘put under surveillance’. the anti-doping laboratory staff were required to enter the negative result into the unified system (ADAMS) and falsify the test result. As a result, the dirty athlete, through the machinations directed and supported by the Deputy Minister of Sports, was able to continue to compete, “the report says.
The WADA Commission claims that in some cases – for example, with doping tests of football players – the decision to “save” was made by Mutko himself, who is also the president of the Russian Football Union. We are talking about “at least one foreign legionnaire,” the document says.
“We are waiting and anticipating a new report. We understand what will be there. Attempts to accuse the state of a systematic approach to doping are groundless, “Mutko himself said last weekend in connection with the upcoming release of the WADA report on the investigation of doping scams at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
Richard McLaren himself at a press conference after the publication of the report did not call for the removal of the Russian national team from the Olympics in Rio, since this is not his task. He also denied linking the release of the report to the Olympics. “It was not a strategic plan to provide a report before the Rio Olympics. Time has nothing to do with the Rio Games, but unfortunately it is happening right in front of them, ”McLaren said.
The WADA Commission has not established the involvement of representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in doping violations, McLaren said. “But I would like to note that Mr. Nagornykh, who was the Deputy Minister of Sports, was involved in this work,” he said. In addition, “some national sports associations were involved, including with the participation of some ROC members.” “But we cannot say for sure to what extent they were aware of this work,” McLaren said. that samples of samples from Russian athletes were transported to “a secret FSB building near the laboratory in Sochi” and Nagorny was also involved.
McLaren also added that there were no leaks of the WADA commission report, all reports on this matter are speculation. “I am responsible for compiling this report. And today, until 12 noon, no one could have known, there were no leaks and could not have been, “McLaren said (quoted by RIA Novosti).
Over the weekend, the media turned out to be the text of a letter from USADA head Travis Tigert to the IOC, in which he asks to remove Russian athletes from the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. NYT wrote that representatives of anti-doping organizations of at least ten countries, as well as 20 “sports groups” are going to join the letter and demand the complete removal of the Russian delegation from participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
.