TORONTO – An independent investigation led by a Canadian law professor has confirmed widespread, state-sponsored doping across many Russian sports.
Richard McLaren of Western University unveiled the report’s findings this morning in Toronto.
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It found evidence of organized doping from late 2011 to August 2015.
McLaren says labs in Moscow and Sochi protected Russian athletes.
According to the report, the lab at the Sochi Olympics “operated a unique sample swapping methodology” that allowed Russian athletes to compete at the 2014 Winter Games.
The report also says that Russia’s Ministry of Sport “controlled and oversaw the manipulation of athlete’s analytical results or sample swapping” with the “active participation” of other government bodies, including the country’s security agency.
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The World Anti-Doping Agency commissioned the investigation following a New York Times story in May that detailed a state-run system that helped athletes get away with cheating and win medals at the Sochi Games.
McLaren says he’s “supremely confident” in the report’s findings.
The report does not make any recommendations. McLaren says it’s up to other sports bodies like the IOC and WADA to determine the next steps.
The Russian athletics team has already been banned from competing at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Several national anti-doping organizations, including from Canada and the United States, were awaiting McLaren’s findings to see if they would push for a total ban of the Russian team.
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