(CNN) More than 1,000 Russian athletes across 30 sports — including football — benefited from state-sponsored doping, according to the latest findings of a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The report by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren builds on his initial findings, published in July, and alleges “an institutional conspiracy” among officials within the Russian Ministry of Sport.
Key Findings
- Over 1000 Russian athletes benefited from doping
- There was an “institutional conspiracy” among athletes and officials within the Ministry of Sport and the FSB
- “Systematic and centralized cover up” in the run up to the London 2012 Summer Olympics which continued until 2015
- London 2012 games corrupted “on an unprecedented scale”
- Male DNA found in samples from two female hockey players
A “systematic and centralized” cover up, across summer, winter and Paralympic sports, was in operation from 2011 to 2015, said McLaren, who presented his latest findings at a news conference in London Friday. He also claimed the swapping of urine samples took place during the Sochi 2014 Winter Games and “became a regular monthly practice of the Moscow Laboratory.”
The WADA investigation was spurred by claims made by former Russian anti-doping laboratory director Grigory Rodchenkov last year to the New York Times that he was ordered to cover up the drug use of at least 15 Sochi 2014 medal winners.Rodchenkov alleged that he assisted in doctoring urine samples provided by Russian athletes during overnight shifts at the Sochi Games.
The second part of the McLaren report said there was “conclusive” forensic evidence that sample bottles had been tampered with and the contents altered.
The technique was refined over the course of the London 2012 Olympics, 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics where a now “fail safe” system was in place to protect likely Russian medal winners, the report found.
“We know for sure it went to the Deputy Minister of Sport level — beyond that we have no evidence to indicate that it went any further,” McLaren told CNN.
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