Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


             Russia Opens Criminal Investigation Related to Doping

   by VOA News

   Russian federal investigators have opened a criminal case against the
   former director of the country's anti-doping laboratory on charges of
   abuse of power.

   Grigory Rodchenkov, who has fled to the United States, revealed last
   month an elaborate doping cover-up scheme at the 2014 Sochi Olympics
   that involved at least 15 medalists, with close ties to the Russian
   sports ministry and security service (FSB).

   Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markov said Saturday
   that Rodchenkov is accused of destroying more than 1,400 doping test
   samples at the Moscow laboratory in 2014 after a World Anti-Doping
   Agency (WADA) commission asked they be preserved for its investigation
   following allegations of doping by Russian athletes at the Sochi
   Olympics.

   The destruction of the samples caused `"damage to Russia's
   international interests, significant damage to the state's reputation,
   discrediting of the state's anti-doping policy...," Markin said.

   Meeting in Vienna, Austria Friday, the International Association of
   Athletics Federations (IAAF) upheld its ban on the Russian track and
   field federation.

   If the International Olympic Committee approves the decision at its
   scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Russia's track and field team will not
   participate in the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

   The IAAF said that Russia has not done enough to restore confidence in
   its athletes in the wake of a doping scandal.

   The Russian Ministry of Sport expressed its disappointment in a
   statement, saying that "'clean athletes' dreams are being destroyed
   because of the reprehensible behavior of other athletes and officials.
   They have sacrificed years of their lives striving to compete at the
   Olympics and now that sacrifice looks likely to be wasted."

   The ministry said it had done "everything possible" since the ban to
   regain the world's trust.



     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-open-criminal-investigation-re
   lated-to-doping/3381952.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-open-criminal-investigation-related-to-doping/3381952.html