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 The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) commission on Monday alleged
widespread corruption and collusion by Russian officials, including
state security services, to cover up drug test results, destroy
samples and intimidate laboratory staff.
It also identified "systematic failures" by the sports world
governing body, the International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF).
The IOC said competitors, coaches or officials mentioned in the WADA
report who were proven to have violated doping regulations should be
punished and stripped of any medals.
"The IOC has asked the IAAF to initiate disciplinary procedures
against all athletes, coaches and officials who have participated in
the Olympic Games and are accused of doping in the report of the
independent commission," it said in a statement.
"With its zero-tolerance policy against doping, following the
conclusion of this procedure, the IOC will take all the necessary
measures and sanctions with regard to the withdrawal and
re-allocation of medals and, as the case may be, exclusion of
coaches and officials from future Olympic Games."
The former global athletics head Lamine Diack, who is under
investigation in France on suspicion of corruption and money
laundering, was also provisionally suspended by the IOC and resigned
as International Athletics Foundation (IAF) chief.
RUSSIAN DEFIANCE
The early effects of the report were starting to be felt on Tuesday
as a Moscow laboratory used for doping tests stopped operating after
its accreditation was suspended by WADA.
The Russian Sports Ministry said it was open for closer cooperation
with WADA to eliminate any irregularities committed by Russia's
anti-doping watchdog and its accredited laboratory.
The overall tone emanating from Moscow, however, was defensive with
a string of officials denouncing the findings of WADA, which has
recommended that Russian athletes are excluded from international
events including the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
The Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, described WADA's doping
allegations as "quite groundless".
The Sports Ministry also said Russia's anti-doping policy had
strictly complied with WADA norms.
The now-closed Moscow laboratory processed tests for more than 20
sports, suggesting the alleged drug cheating could be widespread.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said the laboratory's head,
Grigory Rodchenkov, had resigned.
"Rodchenkov, an experienced man, took the decision to resign to take
all the negativity with him," Tass news agency quoted Mutko as
saying.
In the face of defiance from Russian officials, a WADA spokesman
issued a statement defending the report, which they said left "no
stone unturned in producing its evidence".
"The report offers a real opportunity for wrongs in anti-doping
processes to be righted," the statement read.
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“Many of the recommendations will be on the table at WADA's Board
meeting in Colorado Springs next week."
DIACK SUSPENDED
Diack, the former IAAF president and until Tuesday an honorary
member of the IOC, quit his position as head of the IAF, a
Monaco-based charity best known for its work with the year-end world
athletics gala in Monte Carlo.
Diack, who stepped down as IAAF chief in August, last week was
placed under formal investigation by French authorities.
The office of France's financial prosecutor claims he received over
1 million euros ($1.07 million) in bribes in 2011 to cover up
positive doping tests of Russian athletes.
While the current scandal has focused primarily on Russia, Kenya is
another country facing possible action from WADA if it does not make
serious efforts to tackle doping.
The chairman of Kenya's Olympic committee said on Tuesday the
country needed to act swiftly to prevent its athletes being banned
at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Several Kenyans have failed doping tests in recent years, staining
the reputation of the east African country whose middle and
long-distance runners have been among some of the globe's most
dominant athletes.
WADA last week threatened Kenya with a four-year ban unless it
improved its efforts to catch cheats, but Kipchoge Keino, a Kenyan
running great and chairman of the National Olympic Committee of
Kenya (NOCK), said government officials had shown little stomach to
chase down offenders.
"I have personally tried to reach government officials to agree on
how to act on this menace but I don’t get appointments. I make calls
that are unanswered," Keino told Reuters.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Gene Cherry, Drazen Jorgic, Vladimir
Soldatkin, Christian Lowe; Writing by Toby Davis; Editing by Ken
Ferris and Lisa Shumaker)
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