ATHLETICS HAS BEEN plunged into further crisis after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended that Russia be suspended from competition in the wake of a new report into widespread doping.
The review, conducted by former WADA president Dick Pound over a period of 11 months, has recommended five athletes, including an 800m Olympic gold medallist, and five coaches be given lifetime doping bans.
Pound investigated claims of systemic cheating and cover-up within Russian athletics and led WADA’s three-man independent commission.
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He insisted widespread doping could not have happened without the awareness and consent of the Moscow government and admitted it was ‘worse than we thought.’
The gold and bronze-medal winners at 800 metres from the 2012 London Olympics are among the five runners targeted for lifetime bans by the independent commission.
The commission’s report said the London Games were sabotaged because of the scandal. The 350-page report is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, according to Pound.
“It’s pretty disturbing,” he said at a press conference this afternoon. ”It’s worse than we thought. Unlike other forms of corruption it affected results on the field of play.”
Asked if cheating by Russian athletes was state supported, Pound added: “Yes, I don’t think there is any other possible conclusion…they could not, not have known.”
IAAF president Sebastien 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).
“We need time to properly digest and understand the detailed findings included in the report,” Coe said in a statement.
“However, I have urged the Council to start the process of considering sanctions against ARAF.”
The crisis in athletics first erupted with allegations of doping aired in a German TV documentary in December 2014.
Dark day for athletics as new doping report plunges the sport into crisis
ATHLETICS HAS BEEN plunged into further crisis after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended that Russia be suspended from competition in the wake of a new report into widespread doping.
The review, conducted by former WADA president Dick Pound over a period of 11 months, has recommended five athletes, including an 800m Olympic gold medallist, and five coaches be given lifetime doping bans.
Pound investigated claims of systemic cheating and cover-up within Russian athletics and led WADA’s three-man independent commission.
He insisted widespread doping could not have happened without the awareness and consent of the Moscow government and admitted it was ‘worse than we thought.’
The gold and bronze-medal winners at 800 metres from the 2012 London Olympics are among the five runners targeted for lifetime bans by the independent commission.
The commission’s report said the London Games were sabotaged because of the scandal. The 350-page report is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, according to Pound.
“It’s pretty disturbing,” he said at a press conference this afternoon. ”It’s worse than we thought. Unlike other forms of corruption it affected results on the field of play.”
Asked if cheating by Russian athletes was state supported, Pound added: “Yes, I don’t think there is any other possible conclusion…they could not, not have known.”
IAAF president Sebastien 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).
“We need time to properly digest and understand the detailed findings included in the report,” Coe said in a statement.
“However, I have urged the Council to start the process of considering sanctions against ARAF.”
The crisis in athletics first erupted with allegations of doping aired in a German TV documentary in December 2014.
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Athletics athletics in crisis WADA