Russian Doping Scandal Threatens Participation at Rio 2016

(ATR) Richard Pound, head of WADA’s independent commission, says Russia’s participation at Rio 2016 is in jeopardy after the damning verdict on state-sponsored doping.

At a press conference in Geneva on Monday, Pound spoke about the explosive findings of the commission’s 335-page report following a nearly year-long investigation into allegations of systemic doping in Russian athletics and implicated the IAAF.

WADA recommended the IAAF suspend Russia from competition. The report identified "systemic failures" within the IAAF and Russia "that prevent or diminish the possibility of an effective anti-doping program". It said there was "widespread cheating" using prohibited drugs carried out "by the athletes’ entourages, officials and the athletes themselves".

Pound, an IOC member from Canada, told reporters that an "overwhelming portion of allegations made by ARD were found to be true", a reference to the German television channel’s documentary "Top Secret Doping: How Russia makes its Winners" screen last December.

"For 2016 our recommendation is that the Russian federation be suspended," he said, warning that if Russia did not quickly undertake "remedial work" to fix the problems, Russia might be banned from the Rio Games.

"If they don’t, it has to play itself out… the outcome may be that it has no track and field athletes in Rio. I hope they recognize it’s time for change and they make those changes.

"If they do the surgery and do the therapy, I hope they can get there. The idea is not to exclude people from the Olympics unless you can avoid that," he added.

Pressed several times about Russia’s participation at the Rio Olympics, he said the Russian athletics federation had the "best part of a year" to get its house in order. It would be "embarrassment to Russia", if it was not represented in athletics.

He said Russia "must do something out of the ordinary. They are going to have to act quickly".

Speaking with his IOC hat on, he rejected the suggestion that Russia might be miraculously be deemed WADA code compliant with other recommendations put in place to be allowed to send an athletics team to the Rio Olympics.

"Our commercial interests do not transcend the underlying values. If the Russian track and field federation is non-compliant, it will not be allowed to enter athletes in the Games," he said, confirming that WADA and the IOC would have to approve that.

"The IOC is not going to sell out the athletes that need to be protected," Pound added.

Asked by Around the Rings if Russia should be banned from bidding for any upcoming major sports events, Pound responded that WADA’s rules prevented non-code compliant countries from doing so.

Pound said he was "disappointed to see the nature and extent of what was going on" and agreed with the label that it was effectively state-sponsored doping. "It is worse than we thought."

Commenting on Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who also sits on the FIFA ExCo and leads the 2018 World Cup committee, Pound said it was "not possible for him to be unaware of it. If he was aware of it then he was complicit in it."

The Russian doping scandal casts a shadow over results at recent Olympics, both in Sochi in 2014 and London two years’ before, Pound agreed.

The WADA report said that the London Olympics were "sabotaged" due to IAAF failures to confront the Russian doping problem. Some Russian athletes suspected of doping were allowed to participate in London due to the "the collective and inexplicable laissez-faire policy" attitude of the IAAF and the Russian federation.

"A lot of these things will have question markets attached to them," he said.

Pound said he believed Seb Coe was "the right man" to lead the IAAF out of the worst doping scandal in its history.

The IAAF responded with a statement, saying Coe "has taken the urgent step of seeking approval from his fellow IAAF council members to consider sanctions against the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF).

"These sanctions could include provisional and full suspension and the removal of future IAAF events."

The only portion of the report not yet released to the public is findings concerning alleged criminal mismanagement by former IAAF executives such as Lamine Diack. WADA is keeping the findings undisclosed as to not interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation.

Diack was questioned by French authorities on Thursday based on the findings reported to Interpol by the WADA independent commission.

Following the release of the independent commission report Monday, Interpol responded with a statement of support for the French investigation.

"Interpol facilitated the Independent Commission’s contact with French authorities who agreed to undertake an international inquiry into allegations including active and passive corruption, money laundering and criminal conspiracy."

Interpol says they expect the remaining findings from the independent commission to be published by the end of 2015 barring any setbacks in the criminal investigation.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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