New Russia doping cover-up alleged

Unpublished
MOSCOW - A whistleblower has alleged undercover Russian intelligence agents posed as anti-doping staff to cover up cheating at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Former Russian anti-doping agency worker Vitaly Stepanov made the claims on CBS network's 60 Minutes programme. He said he was told of a cover-up by Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow's anti-doping laboratory. Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said the new allegations were "speculation". Rodchenkov was not interviewed by the programme, which was broadcast on Sunday, but 60 Minutes journalists said they had listened to recordings of him speaking to Stepanov. Stepanov said Rodchenkov told him that agents from Russia's security service, the FSB, "worked as doping controls officers during the Sochi Games" and "tried to control every single step of the anti-doping process in Sochi". He further claimed he had been told four Russian gold medallists at the Games were using steroids. The World Anti-doping Agency (Wada) has said it will investigate the new allegations. Russian athletes have already been banned from international competition by the sport's world governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), after a Wada commission report alleged "state-sponsored" doping in the country. The same report said Rodchenkov was complicit, asking for and accepting bribes and destroying blood and urine samples. He later resigned from his role as head of the Moscow lab. Stepanov and his wife, banned athlete Yuliya Stepanova, were the main whistleblowers in a series of German television documentaries in 2014 which alleged "99%" of Russian athletes were doping. Those claims led to the Wada independent commission being set up. The IAAF is meeting next month to assess whether Russia has done enough to tackle its doping culture before being allowed to take part in August's Olympic Games in Rio.(FA)

Banners

Videos