Russia's anti-doping system failed to find athletes who cheated in international competition by taking performance enhancing drugs, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday.
Putin said Russia needed to admit that "substantiated cases of doping" had taken place across Russian sport.
"The system of doping control in Russia has failed – and it is our fault. We need to acknowledge that,” he said at a meeting dedicated to the 2019 Universiade Games in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk."It's absolutely unacceptable,."
The president said that Russia was cooperating with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and that a new "very efficient" doping control system was currently being developed at Moscow State University.
A report released by WADA in July 2016 revealed that more than a thousand Russian athletes in 30 different sports had been linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs or concealment of positive urine samples.
The investigation also found evidence that 12 Russian athletes who won medals at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi had substituted their urine samples prior to drug testing.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
