New Russian doping report confirms evidence of state-sponsored cheating

An independent investigation led by a Canadian law professor has confirmed evidence of widespread, state-sponsored doping in Russian sports, further fuelling calls for a full ban on the country from next month's Rio Olympics.

Richard McLaren of Western University in London, Ont.,released his findings today at news conference in Toronto, sayinglabs in Moscow andSochiprotected Russian athletes.

In short, Russia's deputy minister of sports, who was also part of Russia's Olympic Committee, would direct workers at Moscow's anti-doping laboratory of which positive samples to send through and which to hold back. Assisting the plan was Russia's national security service the FSB, the current version of the Soviet Union's KGB.

McLarensaid Russia's cheatingprogram, which he dubbedthe "disappearing positive methodology," lasted from 2011 shortly after Russia's disappointing showing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympicsthrough at leastlast year's world swimming championships inKazan, Russia. Histimeframe includesthe 2013 track and field world championships in Moscow.

McLaren said out of 577 positive sample screenings, 312 positive results were held back or labeled "Save"' by the lab workers but that was only a "small slice" of the data that could have been examined. More than 240 of the 312 "Saves"' came from track and field and wrestling, but other sports involved included swimming, rowing, snowboarding and even table tennis.

According to McLaren's 97-pagereport, which was commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency,the lab at the Sochi Olympics "operated a unique sample swapping methodology" that allowed Russian athletes to compete at the 2014 Winter Games, where the host countrytopped the medal table with 13 gold medals and 33 medals overall.

Russian President Vladimir Putin saidthat Russian officials named in thereport will be temporarily suspended, but asked for more detailed and "objective" information, saying the report wasbased on the testimony of just one man (whistleblowerGrigoryRodchenkov)and that the Olympic movement could be on the verge of split.

In a statement published by the Kremlin, Putin said that there was no place for doping in sport as it was a threat to the lives and health of the athletes and discredited fair play.

WADA wants all Russian athletes banned from Rio

Hours after McLaren presented his report, WADA recommended that the International Olympic Committee and theInternational Paralympic Committee ban all Russian athletes fromthe Rio Games, which open Aug. 5.

WADA also said Russian government officials should be denied access to international competitions, including Rio 2016, and the anti-doping watchdog also calledon world governing bodies of sports implicated in thereport to consider action against Russian national bodies.

IOC president Thomas Bach said the IOC's executive boardwill meet via conference call Tuesday to make initial decisions on possible further sanctions against Russia.

Other organizations, including the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and the United States Anti-Doping agency, hadsaid they would call for a blanket ban on Russia for the Rio Games if McLaren's reportshowed evidence of a widespread, state-sponsored doping conspiracy. McLaren's report said it did, and the investigator said he was "unwaveringly confident in my report."

Russia's track and field athletes are already banned from representing their country at the Rio Olympicsas part of the fallout from a doping scandal that began late last year when a WADA-commissioned investigation led by Canadian Dick Pound, and including McLaren, uncovered a widespread, state-sponsored doping program in Russia.

Bach said the IOC "will not hesitate to take the toughest sanctions available against any individual or organizationimplicated" in the McLarenreport, which he called "a shocking and unprecedented attack on the integrity of sportand on the Olympic Games."

However,Bachindicated last week that he was reluctant to see athletes from one sport punished for the crimes of those, or officials, from another.

Among those not in favour of a full Russian ban was the head of gymnastics a sport that was not among the 28 with non-reported positives.

"The right to participate at the games cannot be stolen from an athlete, who has duly qualified and has not be found guilty of doping," said Bruno Grandi, president of gymnastics' international federation. "Blanket bans have never been and will never be just."

The 'nuclear option'

McLarendid not includerecommendations for punishment in his report. Hesaidhe considered the move,but instead urged the IOC and others to "absorb and act upon" the information as they wish.

Russian Olympic chief AlexanderZhukovsaid he was pleased thatMcLaren'sreport did not include recommendations on punishment.

The possibility of Russia's entire team being excluded from Riohas been called the "nuclear option" by Pound.

WADA commissioned McLaren's investigation to examineaccusations made by former Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory head Grigory Rodchenkov, who two months ago told the New York Times thatdozens of Russians used performance-enhancing drugs in Sochi with approval from national sports authorities.

Rodchenkov, who now lives in the United States,claimed that up to 15 Russian medal winners at the Sochi Winter Games were part of a program in which tainted urine samples were switched for clean ones.

McLaren'sreport saidRodchenkov'sallegationswent much as described.

According to McLaren, Rodchenkov and all other witnesses interviewed were deemed credible and the personnel at the Moscow laboratory did not have a choice in whether to be involved in the state-directed system.