Russian anti-doping agency to investigate allegations
The Russian Anti-Doping Agency announced that it is investigating allegations that Russian officials took money in exchange for providing Olympic athletes with banned substances and covering up positive tests.
The French newspaper L'Equipe and the German TV network ARD claim that three-time Chicago Marathon winner Liliya Shobukhova paid the Russian track federation more than $600,000 to evade a doping-related suspension.
Athletes in other sports are also named in the ARD report. A former RUSADA official told the outlet that Russian sports federations would offer doping control offers money to cover up positive tests.
The official lodged additional accusations against the head of the national doping test laboratory. The Russian Government is in charge of RUSADA, the laboratory and the Russian Athletics Federation.
• Report: Russian Olympic runner paid to cover up doping case
From the BBC:
In the documentary, broadcast on Wednesday, former discus thrower Yevgeniya Pecherina claimed that "most, the majority, 99%" of athletes selected to represent Russia use banned substances.
"You can get absolutely everything," added the 25-year-old Russian. "Everything the athlete wants."
The International Association of Athletics Federations and the World Anti-Doping Agency indicated that that they were already looking into the allegations.
Ed Warner, the chairman of UK Athletics, has requested a quick resolution of the IAAF's probe into the allegations.
The RAF claims that the allegations are lies, according to the BBC, and Nikita Kamaev, the executive director of RUSADA, recently said that there is no proof the organization facilitated a systematic doping scheme among Russian athletes.
