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Moscow admits to ‘government-orchestrated doping of athletes’

Moscow admits to ‘government-orchestrated doping of athletes’

Posted December. 29, 2016 07:10,   

Updated December. 29, 2016 07:20

한국어

A Russian government official has admitted to doping of Russian athletes with banned substances for the first time.

In an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, Anna Antseliovich, the acting director-general of Russia's national anti-doping agency, said, “Doping was conducted institutionally, systematically and secretively.” Other Russian government officials also admitted to the use of banned substances by Russian athletes during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the newspaper said. But Antseliovich denied the suspicion that top Russian government officials including President Vladimir Putin were also embroiled in the doping scandal.

Russia has been suspected that its state agencies, including the Russian Sports Ministry, Russia's national anti-doping agency (RUSADA), and the Federal Security Service, systematically instructed its athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs. In May this year, Gregori Rodschenkow, former head of RUSADA’S laboratory, revealed the doping process including concocting of substances to switching of urine samples.

“We provided dozens of Russian athletes with cocktail of three banned substances and liquor during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. We concealed the doping of banned substances by smuggling out every night from the lab and secretively switching urine samples from Russian athletes, who completed their competitions, with their clean urine samples that had been collected several months in advance,” Rodschenkow said. “We also received the list of Russian athletes, whose urine samples should be switched, from government officials every day during the Sochi Olympics.”

The World Anti-doping Agency on December 9 issued a report suggesting that it examined 95 urine samples from Russian athletes provided by the International Olympic Committee to find evidence that samples of 28 athletes had been switched. Afterwards, IOC started investigation of Russian athletes in question. Russia has been forfeited of the right to host various winter sports championships. As Russia's anti-doping agency admitted to systematic doping, investigation of Russian athletes and sanctions against them will likely pick up speed.



Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com