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Russia faces ban from athletics for widespread doping offences
Reuters
November 10, 2015, 1:21 am
A journalist reads the final report of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) before a news conference on the WADA Independent Commission report on findings of investigation into allegations of widespread doping in sport in Geneva, Switzerland November 9, 2015. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
By Brian Homewood
GENEVA (Reuters) - Russia could be banned from international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games, after an anti-doping commission report on Monday alleged widespread corruption and collusion that added up to a state-sponsored drugs culture in a sporting superpower.
The commission, set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), found a "deeply rooted culture of cheating" in Russian athletics, which it said Russian state security services colluded with, and also identified what it called systemic failures in the global governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
At one point, the commission said, the WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratory in Moscow destroyed 1,417 samples shortly before an inspection. "This was done on a Saturday morning immediately prior to the arrival in Moscow of a WADA audit team," the report said.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said there was no evidence for the accusations against the Russian Athletics Federation, and that the samples had been destroyed at WADA's request.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe said he was alarmed and surprised by the scale of the revelations, which come days after the IAAF's long-time president, Lamine Diack, was accused by the IAAF of concealing a Russian athlete's doping violations.
"These are dark days," said Coe, Diack's successor. He gave Russia until the end of the week to respond to the accusations, and said the IAAF Council would then discuss possible sanctions.
Dick Pound, the head of the commission that produced the report and a former president of WADA, referred to a corruption scandal now shaking football's governing body, FIFA.
"I hope all sports will look at their governance and their anti-doping systems because their existence may be at risk," he told a news conference. "Public opinion is going to move towards the view that all sport is corrupt."
The report said the presence of Russian security services in the Moscow anti-doping laboratory "actively imposed an atmosphere of intimidation on laboratory process and staff".
GLOBAL INVESTIGATION
The international police body Interpol said it would coordinate a global investigation into suspected corruption and doping in athletics.
Some believe the scandal could have bigger ramifications than the graft affair at FIFA, where president Sepp Blatter has been suspended, 14 officials and marketing executives have been indicted, and Switzerland is investigating the awarding of two World Cups: to Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.
The commission said in its report that the London Olympics in 2012 had in effect been "sabotaged" by the widespread inaction of national anti-doping authorities and the sport's governing body.
"For 2016, our recommendation is that the Russian Federation be suspended," Pound said. "In fact, one of our hopes is that they will volunteer that, so that they can take the remedial work in time to make sure that Russian athletes can compete under a new framework."
Russia finished second behind the United States in athletics at the 2012 Olympics, with 17 medals, eight of them gold, and has long been one of the chief players in track and field.
In one sense at least, the scandal could prove more compromising than the FIFA affair. There has never been any suggestion that FIFA corruption has affected results on the pitch, at the World Cup, for example.
"It's worse than we thought, It has the effect of factually affecting the results on the field of play and athletes, both in Russia and abroad, are suffering as a result," Pound said. "It may be a residue of the old Soviet system ... they must stop it and make a new start."
"I hope they'll say this is an opportunity to get rid of the old system, get rid of the old coaches, and change their ways. If they (Russia) do the surgery, and do the therapy, I hope they can get there (the Rio Olympics) and compete."
A decision to suspend Russia could be taken only by the IAAF.
INFLUX OF MONEY
The acting president of the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF), Vadim Zelichenok, told Reuters by telephone: "It is only a recommendation ... But I cannot say if the IAAF will follow this."
Corruption has infected many sports. The International Olympic Committee was hit by a scandal 15 years ago, while cricket and cycling have also been tainted.
The reach of graft in global sport might in part be explained by a huge influx of sponsorship in recent decades into bodies lacking effective governance and supervisory procedures. That financial backing could now be put at risk.
"I think the credibility of sport has taken some fairly serious body blows in the last few months, with FIFA and its particular forms of corruption and now the IAAF, and these are two of the most important sports in the world," Pound said.
IAAF president Coe said he had already "urged the IAAF Council to start the process of considering sanctions against ARAF (the Russian federation)."
"This step has not been taken lightly," he added.
The report recommended lifetime bans for five athletes, four coaches and one doctor, all Russian. They included the women's 800 metres Olympic champion Mariya Savinova and the bronze medallist, Ekaterina Poistogova.
Last week, French authorities placed Lamine Diack under formal investigation on suspicion of taking over 1 million euros ($1.09 million) in 2011 to cover up positive doping tests by Russian athletes.
IAAF's Ethics Commission also accused Diack, two senior Russian athletics officials and a former director of the IAAF’s Anti-Doping Department of concealing doping violations by Russian athlete Liliya Shobukhova.
The suppression of drug test results in return for bribes would make a mockery of the huge investment by world athletics in technical measures to detect drug use and ensure fairness.
Coe told Reuters in an interview that the IAAF had tested more than 5,000 athletes since 2009: proof, he said, that the organisation was serious about making the sport clean.
(Writing by Brian Homewood; additional reporting by Mitch Phillips and Dmitry Rogovitsky; Editing by Ralph Boulton and Kevin Liffey)
there are so many ways to cheat in sports-doping is one.
To me another way to cheat is to employ foreigners to play for the country.
Just recruit foreigners who have totally no links to the country, give them citizenship and you have a national team totally devoid of locals to win medals.
The worst is a national team with not a single player born in the country-what national team is that?
Serious Fraud Office urged to launch inquiry into athletics doping scandal
Damian Collins, Conservative MP and a leading member of the Culture, Media & Sport select committee, responds to report saying London Olympics was 'sabotaged'
Athletics has been rocked by scandal this week Photo: PA
By Ben Rumsby, Sports News Correspondent
11:25AM GMT 11 Nov 2015
The Serious Fraud Office has been asked by a leading member of the Culture, Media & Sport select committee to launch an inquiry into the athletics doping scandal.
Conservative MP Damian Collins has written to SFO director David Green urging him to investigate the findings of an independent commission, which ruled the London Olympics had been “sabotaged” through the cover-up of positive drugs tests.
French police have already launched criminal proceedings against Lord Coe’s predecessor as president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, Lamine Diack, and others, who are suspected of bribery, and Collins believes the SFO should follow suit.
Conservative MP Damian Collins has written to the SFO
His letter to Green, seen by Telegraph Sport, reads: “I was very disturbed to read the report by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) which was published on Monday, detailing widespread allegations of bribery, intimidation and drugs cheating in world athletics.
“The Wada report also claimed that the London 2012 Olympic Games was ‘sabotaged’ by the failure to take action against athletes who were using performance-enhancing substances.
“Perhaps the most concerning issues of all though have been the allegations that bribes were paid to IAAF officials to buy their collusion in the protection of athletes who had or would have failed anti-doping tests.
Former IAAF president Lamine Diack is under investigation Photo: GETTY IMAGES
“There is already a criminal investigation in France into allegations of corruption and money laundering involving IAAF officials, including its former President Lamine Diack.
“I would like to ask whether the Serious Fraud Office will investigate these very serious allegations, particularly with reference to activity linked to the London Olympics, which fall within your jurisdiction.
“The Wada report is yet another tragic indictment of the inability of international sporting organisations to police themselves. However, corruption is also a criminal matter and should be investigated by the appropriate international law enforcement authorities where they have the jurisdiction to do so.
The CMS select committee will grill Seb Coe over the scandal
“I would welcome your comments on serious matter.”
The SFO said it could “neither confirm nor deny” its interest in the scandal when contacted by Telegraph Sport on Tuesday.
The CMS select committee is also set to grill Coe over the scandal before Christmas.
The secrets of Doping: How Russia makes its winners - H.Seppelt
Sous-titres Français & English subtiles
German documentary broadcasted on ARD. Created by Hajo Seppelt.
Documentaire allemand créé par Hajo Seppelet, et diffusé sur la chaîne ARD.
You only investigate drug use among winners as it gives athletes an advantage: Lance Armstrong, American sprinters, Russian athletes.
You don't need to investigate a loser team like the Singapore Lions. If there were any illicit drug use involved, it probably screwed up their performance on the pitch!
Russia accepts ban from world athletics over doping
AFP
November 27, 2015, 7:18 am
Monaco (AFP) - Russia has accepted its "full suspension" from world athletics over widespread doping without even requesting a hearing, the IAAF said Thursday.
The most severe punishment ever meted out by the International Association of Athletics Federations was made formal at a meeting of the world body's governing council in Monaco.
Russia, which had previously denied any wrongdoing, vowed at the meeting to work with foreign inspectors so that it could be welcomed back into international competition.
Russia is anxious to be cleared to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.
The IAAF had provisionally suspended Russia over what a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report released this month said was "state-sponsored" doping in athletics.
An IAAF statement said an All-Russia Athletics Federation letter had been received on Wednesday "accepting their full suspension without requesting a hearing as was their constitutional right".
"ARAF confirmed they understood that the council would only accept their reinstatement as an IAAF Member following the recommendation of the IAAF inspection team who will decide if the verification criteria have been fulfilled.
"ARAF confirmed they will cooperate fully and actively with the team."
Vadim Zelichenok, ARAF's interim president, said the federation had feared an even worse punishment if an appeal was made.
"We decided that it was better to correct the situation from the very start and as quickly as possible," the Russia's R-Sport news agency quoted him as saying.
- Engagement -
"We either agree and start correcting the deficiencies -- which we have already started doing -- or prolong the agony and wait until we get slammed even more seriously."
IAAF president Sebastian Coe has said he wants "engagement not isolation" to settle the doping scandal.
"We touched upon the Russian federation's situation and also noted their acceptance of the full suspension and agreement that the inspection team... will finalise the verification criteria for ARAF to be reinstated and we will do that with WADA," Coe said after the council meeting.
"There is no reason why we should not make progresss probably within the next 10 days to two weeks, via conference call, to start this process as soon as possible."
The IAAF has said the conditions must include "immediate" sanctions against Russian athletes and coaches caught doping, a law in Russia to criminalise sports doping and a system so that athletes can "safely tip-off" authorities about drug cheats.
The world body also demanded a "robust, transparent and efficient anti-doping testing programme".
But Coe added that the IAAF was "not too concerned about deadlines, it is for the IAAF to decide when ARAF is ready to return to the fold".
WADA's report accused Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA of "routinely" violating international test standards and allowing athletes banned for doping to compete.
It also accused Russian athletics chiefs of corruption and French police are now investigating former IAAF president Lamine Diack over accusations that he took bribes from Russian officials to cover up doping cases.
Diack is said to have accepted more than one million euros ($1.3 million). A close advisor and a former IAAF anti-doping doctor have also been charged.
A second part of the WADA report is due to be released in early 2016 and its main author Dick Pound, the former WADA chief, has said it will have a "wow factor".
"I think people will say how on earth could this happen? It's a complete betrayal of what the people in charge of the sport should be doing," Pound told the British newspaper, The Independent.
Russia has already been stripped of the World Junior Championships (July 19-26 in Kazan) and the World Race Walking Team Championships (May 7-8 in Cheboksary). Their athletes are now unlikely to compete in the World Indoor Championships in Portland in March.
Coe said the IAAF was ready to under-write the two events set to be staged in Russia.
"We didn't discuss (during the council meeting) where to reallocate the events, but we did talk about the process that we would need to have in place so that first of all athletes are not penalised," he said.
The IAAF's next council meeting is in Cardiff in March.
