The investigation into alleged doping from Russian athletes has thrown up some very serious findings from those at the top.
Dick Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), recommended the country’s track and field athletes be banned from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro unless significant changes are made.
The comments follow a WADA report which has found that more than 1,400 samples had been “intentionally and maliciously” interfered with, and that there was a “deeply rooted culture of cheating at all levels”.
Pound on suspending Russia: `The outcome may be there are no Russian track and field athletes in Rio.'
— Steve Wilson (@SteveWilson_LDN) November 9, 2015
Pound didn’t rule out an appearance from the country’s athletic federation at next year’s Olympics, but called on them to “do the surgery and the therapy” required to clean up the sport.
He also agreed with suggestions from the press that the activities could be described as “state-sponsored doping” after a number of positive drugs tests from the country’s athletes.
Dick Pound agrees that activity in Russia amounts to "state-sponsored doping"
— Paul Kelso (@pkelso) November 9, 2015
