World Anti-Doping Agency to probe new claims of Russian doping at Sochi 2014
Allegations of Russian doping at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will be investigated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), it was confirmed today.
The claims, made by whistleblower Vitaly Stepanov during an interview aired on Sunday by American channel CBS, centre on Russian athletes and entourage members engaging in the misuse of drugs.
It is alleged that numerous athletes, including four gold medalists, were using steroids and that the Russian Federal Security Service interfered with the Games anti-doping program.
“Wada will probe these new allegations immediately,” said Wada president Sir Craig Reedie.
“The claims made in the programme offer real cause for concern, as they contain new allegations regarding attempts to subvert the anti-doping process at the Sochi Games.”
A damning report from from Wada’s independent commission in November culminated in world governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), banning Russia from global competition, including this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The IAAF council will decide on 17 June, less than two months before the start of the Olympics, whether Russia has made enough progress in resolving its anti-doping mechanisms and readmit it to the international fold.