Putin Calls for National Russian Anti-Doping Commission

Russian president Vladimir Putin has called for a new Russian anti-doping commission, just one day after the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS) upheld the decision to suspend the entire Russian athletics team from the 2016 Olympic Games.

“In sport there is not and cannot be a place for any doping,” Putin told the Associated Press. “Sport must be clean, and an athlete’s health must be properly protected.”

Putin did not address the recently-released WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) report that confirms hundreds cases of Russian doping have been both systematic and state-sponsored.

His proposed commission would be “independent,” including experts from Russia and the world and “cooperating closely” with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the WADA to provide “rapid development and tough control for the effective realization of a national plan on the fight against doping.”

Putin pointed to Vitaly Smirnov to head up the commission.

Smirnov is a former IOC vice president who was given a “serious warning” after the 1999 Salt Lake City bid scandal. He also has served as the Soviet Union’s deputy sports minister and was an organizer for the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Putin did not mention a timeline for his plan.

Also today, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbechev wrote to IOC president Thomas Bach in opposition of the Russian ban.

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Robby
8 years ago

Read: find a way to make it impossible for anyone to prove Russia is cheating.

Marek Pajak
8 years ago

Putin is in a difficult position. The more people he “fires’ for alleged doping, the greater the chance one of them will go on TV and say the doping orders came from Putin’s cabinet.

Jimi
8 years ago

Sounds like Putin’s pouting.

bobo gigi
8 years ago

Is there something “independent” in Russia? 😆
Please, that’s hilarious.

Ferb
8 years ago

Putin has never been big on obeying other people’s rules.

David Berkoff
8 years ago

Make Russian Doping Great Again. Go Trumputin!

Myshkin
8 years ago

LOL OMG ROLF LMAO hahahaha

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Hannah Hecht

Hannah Hecht grew up in Kansas and spent most of her childhood trying to convince coaches to let her swim backstroke in freestyle sets. She took her passion to Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa and swam at NAIA Nationals all four years. After graduating in 2015, she moved to …

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