New Russian Doping Documentary to Air as IAAF Verdict on Russian Athletics Awaits

(ATR) German journalist Hajo Seppelt says that further insight and new allegations into Russia’s systematic doping and related cover-ups will be revealed in his latest documentary entitled ‘The Secret World of Doping: Showdown for Russia.’

Seppelt said the investigative program – which airs Wednesday, June 8 at 22:45 on German TV ARD – will confirm, providing unpublished documents and new video footage, the suspicion that the Russian government was directly involved in the cover-up of state-controlled doping. It will also, purportedly, implicate Russian minister of sport Vitaly Mutko.

"The Russians apparently have made great efforts in recent weeks and months to prove to the world that the system has changed for the better. At the same time, however, everything is collapsing around them – the retests of Beijing and London, as well as the statements of [Grigory] Rodchenkov," Seppelt said, referring to the former chief of the Moscow anti-doping lab in an interview posted on the ARD/Sportschau website. "Everything is getting worse rather than better."

The Russian state is facing a ban of its athletes at the Olympic Games in August in Rio de Janeiro. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) specially appointed task force is expected to announce its decision on June 17 in Vienna, Austria.

"From our point of view, it is opportune, shortly before a decision is taken, to take a look once again at the status quo with the Russians," Seppelt said. "In doing so we have made some astonishing findings."

Mutko spoke directly with Seppelt in an interview that airs in the program.

"We have based the current research on this interview, to look at what Mutko says and what is actually happening," Seppelt said. "Some amazing things emerged thereby."

According to ARD/WDR, the IAAF task force was presented with the research results for the film. In a letter dated June 1st, the task force informed that the research and information provided was a "very serious matter" as well as a "matter of urgency" and represented a "grave concern".

The IOC has called a summit meeting of sports leaders for June 21 in Lausanne to further rule on the IAAF verdict. Bach said the meeting will "be about protecting the clean athletes."

The Russian doping scandal began with explosive testimony 18 months ago from two whistleblowers - long-distance runner Yulia Stepanov and her husband Vitaly, a former anti-doping official – as revealed in Seppelt’s first program on the Russian transgressions.

Their wide-ranging allegations included claims that doctors and coaches provided banned substances to athletes, officials bullied anti-doping personnel, and laboratory personnel destroyed samples.

The claims by the Stepanovs formed the backbone of a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report unveiled by chair Dick Pound that resulted in Russian track and field athletes being suspended from international competition last November.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is also investigating the allegations of state-sponsored doping at the Sochi 2014 Games following revelations in the New York Times by Rodchenkov, the former director of Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory, and Stepanov. Among their claims are that tainted urine samples were switched for clean ones at the Sochi anti-doping lab.

Collaborating with Seppelt on the latest ARD/WDR film are fellow producers Florian Riese Wieck and Felix Becker.

An English version of the new documentary will be available on www.sportschau.de later this week.

Seppelt Critical of IOC President Bach

IOC president Thomas Bach has insisted on "zero tolerance" in the fight against doping and recently stated that entire Russian sports federations could be dismissed from the Olympics along with lifelong bans for "any implicated person" if allegations of state-sponsored doping at the Sochi 2014 Games were proven.

However, Bach, when asked last week in Lausanne if the Russian Olympic Committee might be banned, said: "there comes a decision we have to make between collective responsibility and individual justice."

"In my view Mr. Bach and his entourage are not interested in a really consistent anti-doping policy, but rather in cosmetic changes and in solving the matter in such a diplomatic way that nobody gets hurt," Seppelt said.

"Mr. Bach will, however, incur the wrath of athletes from all over the world if he knuckles under before Mr. Putin once again," the German journalist said.

"Bach will have to face up to the question as to whether he wants to keep the largest country in the world quiet or the other 200 countries which are also still participating in the Olympic Games."

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