Athletics: Russia could look outside for help on doping, minister says
Russia says a “foreign specialist” could take over as chief of its anti-doping watchdog as the fallout from a no-holds-barred report on drug-taking and corruption at the heart of Russian athletics spreads
Russia says a “foreign specialist” could take over as chief of its anti-doping watchdog as the fallout from a no-holds-barred report on drug-taking and corruption at the heart of Russian athletics spreads ahead of possible international sanctions.
The first casualty in the wake of the scandal, which erupted on Monday with a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), was the head of Russia's anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, who resigned after his laboratory was suspended over the allegations.
We are absolutely open and ready as a result of consultations with Wada to appoint even a foreign specialist to lead the laboratory
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that Moscow could possibly appoint a foreign expert to take over the vacant position. A Russian scientist, Marina Dikunets, is in temporary charge of the lab.
“We are absolutely open and ready as a result of consultations with Wada to appoint even a foreign specialist to lead the laboratory if it is necessary,” Mutko told the R-Sport news agency.
Bad weather, meanwhile, was preventing a planned meeting between Mutko and President Vladimir Putin with Russia facing a possible ban from the Olympics over the allegations of “state-supported” doping in athletics.