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Vladimir Putin attempts to conduct mood music in Russian doping scandal Vladimir Putin attempts to conduct mood music in Russian doping scandal
(about 1 hour later)
After an extraordinary meeting between president Vladimir Putin and sport officials late into the night, Russia has said it is ready to work with anti-doping agencies and take extra steps to fight performance enhancing drug use. But as the Russian athletics federation prepared a response to a damning World Anti-Doping Agency report, officials and coaches were both making conciliatory statements and casting suspicion on its findings. After an extraordinary meeting between Vladimir Putin and sport officials late into the night, Russia has said it is ready to work with anti-doping agencies and take extra steps to fight performance enhancing drug use. But as the Russian athletics federation prepared a response to a damning World Anti-Doping Agency report, officials and coaches were both making conciliatory statements and casting doubt on its findings.
At the meeting in the 2014 Winter Olympic host city Sochi, Putin commented on the Wada allegations for the first time, declaring that “doping must be fought” and telling sport officials to “pay the highest attention to the this”. But he also said Russia would “conduct our own internal investigation” before taking action against anyone and suggested only individual athletes and coaches would be punished. At the meeting in the 2014 Winter Olympic host city Sochi, Putin commented on the Wada allegations for the first time, declaring: “Doping must be fought,” and telling sport officials to “pay the highest attention to this”. But he also said Russia would “conduct our own internal investigation” before taking action against anyone and suggested only individual athletes and coaches would be punished.
In a bid to avoid being banned from the 2016 Olympics, Russian officials have repeatedly said honest athletes shouldn’t be punished for the actions of bad ones. “Simply no one has the right to deprive [clean athletes] of the chance to compete in the Olympic games,” the Olympic committee head Alexander Zhukov said after the meeting with Putin. In a bid to avoid their athletes being banned from the 2016 Olympics, Russian officials have repeatedly said honest athletes shouldn’t be punished for the actions of bad ones. “Simply no one has the right to deprive [clean athletes] of the chance to compete in the Olympic Games,” the Olympic committee head, Alexander Zhukov, said after the meeting with Putin, the country’s president.
The IAAF president Sebastian Coe has given Russia until Friday to respond to Wada’s findings that coaches and officials covered up systematic doping in Russian athletics, and the sport minister Vitaly Mutko said that the Russian athletics federation was preparing to “give its view on the complaints and measures that are being suggested to us”. He told the Associated Press on Thursday that he would speak to Coe before the decision, adding that Russia wouldn’t boycott the Olympics even if it were suspended. Sebastian Coe, the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, has given Russia until Friday to respond to Wada’s findings that coaches and officials covered up systematic doping in Russian athletics, and the sport minister, Vitaly Mutko, said that the Russian athletics federation was preparing to “give its view on the complaints and measures that are being suggested to us”. He told the Associated Press on Thursday that he would speak to Coe before the decision, adding that Russia would not boycott the Olympics even if it was suspended.
On Thursday, Vadim Zelichyonok, acting head of the All-Russia Federation of Athletics, told the news agency Interfax that if Russia was banned from the Olympics by the athletics world governing body, it would exercise its right to appeal against the decision. “Even if they suspend us, I don’t think that it will be immediately for some strict time period. They could give us some time to correct mistakes,” he said.On Thursday, Vadim Zelichyonok, acting head of the All-Russia Federation of Athletics, told the news agency Interfax that if Russia was banned from the Olympics by the athletics world governing body, it would exercise its right to appeal against the decision. “Even if they suspend us, I don’t think that it will be immediately for some strict time period. They could give us some time to correct mistakes,” he said.
Mutko said Russia sought a “road map” to remedy any problems and was willing to undergo re-accreditation of its anti-doping bodies by Wada, “but would like for this to be the final time”. The Moscow anti-doping laboratory was stripped of its Wada accreditation after the report, and its director resigned after being named as a key player in hiding banned substance use. “We need a specific road map. What specifically do we need to do?” Mutko said. “We already have a new director of the anti-doping laboratory today.” Mutko said Russia sought a road map to remedy any problems and was willing to undergo reaccreditation of its anti-doping bodies by Wada, “but would like for this to be the final time”. The Moscow anti-doping laboratory was stripped of its Wada accreditation after the report and its director resigned after being named as a key player in hiding banned substance use. “We need a specific road map. What specifically do we need to do?” Mutko said. “We already have a new director of the anti-doping laboratory today.”
But Mutko continued to argue that some of Wada’s conclusions were unfounded. In response to its assertion that the London 2012 Olympics had been “sabotaged” by Russian athletes with suspicious doping profiles, Mutko said all those who won medals in London “earned them in a fair fight” because they were awarded only after doping samples were taken from the athletes. “We have no reason to think otherwise,” he said, calling Wada’s findings “strange threats and strange conclusions”.But Mutko continued to argue that some of Wada’s conclusions were unfounded. In response to its assertion that the London 2012 Olympics had been “sabotaged” by Russian athletes with suspicious doping profiles, Mutko said all those who won medals in London “earned them in a fair fight” because they were awarded only after doping samples were taken from the athletes. “We have no reason to think otherwise,” he said, calling Wada’s findings “strange threats and strange conclusions”.
Despite their dismissals, the doping scandal appears to have shaken Russia’s top officials. Andrei Kolesnikov, a Kremlin pool journalist for the newspaper Kommersant who was at the meeting with Putin at the martial arts centre in Sochi, wrote that its “participants were noticeably nervous before the start”, especially the head athletics coach Yury Borsakovsky, who “stood alone, focused and a bit pale”. According to Kolesnikov, such a meeting with only the presidents of Russia’s sporting federations had never taken place, not even before the Olympics. Despite their dismissals, the doping scandal appears to have shaken Russia’s top officials. Andrei Kolesnikov, a Kremlin pool journalist for the newspaper Kommersant who was at the meeting with Putin at the martial arts centre in Sochi, wrote that its “participants were noticeably nervous before the start”, especially the head athletics coach, Yury Borsakovsky, who “stood alone, focused and a bit pale”. According to Kolesnikov, such a meeting with only the presidents of Russia’s sporting federations had never taken place, not even before the Olympics.
Among the many coaches also present at the martial arts centre, few seemed to share the top officials’ stated desire to cooperate with Wada and the IAAF to ameliorate the situation. The head freestyle wrestling coach Magomed Guseinov argued that his athletes, mainly from Russia’s Caucasus regions, were “young, hot” and changed location too unexpectedly to notify anti-doping inspectors of their whereabouts. The athletics coach Alexander Tsyplakov, on the other hand, claimed that Wada inspectors were “lying” because they know the team’s travel schedule and deliberately “come when we’re not there and issue warnings”. Among the many coaches also present at the martial arts centre, few seemed to share the top officials’ stated desire to cooperate with Wada and the IAAF to ameliorate the situation. The head freestyle wrestling coach, Magomed Guseinov, argued that his athletes, mainly from Russia’s Caucasus regions, were “young, hot” and changed location too unexpectedly to notify anti-doping inspectors of their whereabouts. The athletics coach Alexander Tsyplakov, on the other hand, claimed that Wada inspectors were lying because they know the team’s travel schedule and deliberately “come when we’re not there and issue warnings”.
The athletics coach Sergei Poirazyan called the Wada report “yet another provocation by the decadent west”, claiming that western coaches train “sick people, asthmatics” to get around anti-doping regulations. “So why do they win? Because they are allowed to take any substance,” he said.The athletics coach Sergei Poirazyan called the Wada report “yet another provocation by the decadent west”, claiming that western coaches train “sick people, asthmatics” to get around anti-doping regulations. “So why do they win? Because they are allowed to take any substance,” he said.
Asked whether he truly thought the Wada report was all “smoke without fire”, Gennady Gabrielyan, the coach of champion high jumper Maria Kuchina, “carefully” answered that “I think that there are elements of exaggeration in this report,” Kolesnikov wrote. Asked whether he truly thought the Wada report was all “smoke without fire”, Gennady Gabrielyan, the coach of champion high jumper Maria Kuchina, “carefully” answered: “I think that there are elements of exaggeration in this report,” Kolesnikov wrote.
Meanwhile, the IAAF said on Thursday that the Russian state-owned bank VTB would end its sponsorship of international athletics at the end of this year. Both sides denied the decision was a result of the doping scandal.Meanwhile, the IAAF said on Thursday that the Russian state-owned bank VTB would end its sponsorship of international athletics at the end of this year. Both sides denied the decision was a result of the doping scandal.