Support The Moscow Times!

Russia to Consider Criminal Penalties for Doping, Sports Minister Says

According to Mutko, the ministry also plans to extend the responsibilities of sporting federations.

Russia may introduce harsher penalties for doping, possibly making it a criminal offense, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said at a press conference, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

"There are a number of measures we can take," Mutko was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti on Wednesday. "We can introduce new kinds of tests, moving away from quantitative indicators … to the biological passport, which practically rules out manipulation."

"We want to take a serious look at toughening civil penalties, and perhaps even think about introducing criminal ones," he said, RIA Novosti reported.

According to Mutko, the ministry also plans to extend the responsibilities of sporting federations.

"They are independent organizations," he said. "It is always said that the state should not meddle [in sport], but they [the sports federations] should take responsibility."

He also said that the results of previous Olympic games should not be revised based on the analysis of doping samples, the BBC's Russian service reported.

The Moscow Anti-Doping Center had its accreditation suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Tuesday, after a WADA commission report accused its officials of intentionally destroying samples against the organization's express wishes.

The ban took immediate effect, prohibiting the lab from carrying out any WADA-related activities.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

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 you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more