Report Links Russian Officials, Athletes to Massive Doping Cover-up

The report also recommended that five athletes and five coaches should be given lifetime doping bans.

IAAF president Sebastian Coe, giving his first reaction in London, said the report’s conclusions were “alarming” but he had begun the process “of considering sanctions against ARAF” (Russian Athletics Federation).

The report says the investigation conducted by WADA uncovered cheating at all levels over a long period of time. “This issue should be considered at the IAAF Council in November”, All-Russia Athletics Federation’s (ARAF) Vadim Zelichenok told R-Sport news agency. “This step has not been taken lightly”, Coe said in a statement on Monday.

Seb Coe also added that the IAAF would co-operate with investigators and “do whatever it takes” to protect clean athletes and rebuild the lost trust.

An independent commission set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended booting Russian Federation out for what it claimed amounted to a state-sponsored doping conspiracy.

“The only contact I had with them [WADA] was in March this year at the European Championship in Prague, where I protested against the questioning of our athletes Anastasia Bazdyreva and Yekaterina Poistogova during the competitions”, Zelichenko said.

Vladimir Uiba, head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency that treats Russian athletes, denied the allegations, AP reports.

While Russia’s absence from the 2016 Olympic Games would surely be missed, and could affect viewership and ratings, if a suspension is what it takes for the country to crack down on doping, that may be the path the IAAF chooses.

The commission said in its report that the London 2012 Olympics had been “sabotaged” by the widespread inaction of worldwide and national anti-doping authorities.

The WADA commission’s investigation came about after the December 2014 airing of a documentary by the German public broadcaster ARD, entitled, “The secrets of Doping: How Russian Federation makes its winners?”

Russian Federation is a traditional powerhouse of athletics and finished second behind the United states in the medal table at the 2012 Olympics, with 17 medals, eight of them gold.

Diack was a powerful figure within the IOC as he controlled one of the most popular Olympic sports for more 15 years with athletics also a big beneficiary, along with swimming, of the IOC’s Olympic Games contributions.

The report said that it could confirm allegations made in past media reports that a few Russian doctors and laboratory staff “acted as enablers for systematic cheating”.

Diack was put under criminal investigation last week on suspicion of corruption and money laundering amid allegations linking his sons to extorting money from athletes who tested positive for doping.

The IAAF’s former most senior doping official, Gabriel Dollé, and the IAAF legal adviser Habib Cissé were also arrested.