CHEBOKSARY (Sputnik) — Russia's government and President Vladimir Putin are ready to do "anything" in order to ensure that sport in Russia is free of doping, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Wednesday.
"The Russian government, the country's president, I, as a minister, are ready to do anything for sport to be 'clean.' We never said we don't have problems. But there are huge problems all over the world. And we have them as well. Both officials at different levels and employees at various services and laboratories," Mutko told R-Sport.
The Council of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) refused to allow Russian athletes to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
In December 2014, German ARD channel released a film titled "The Doping Secret: How Russia Creates Champions" on alleged doping abuse and corruption in Russian sports. The film was followed up by documentaries with further allegations.
Following the release of the film, the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA launched an investigation into the allegations of doping abuse in Russian sports. In November 2015, WADA's Independent Commission issued a report accusing Russia of numerous breaches of global anti-doping regulations. As a result, the IAAF suspended the Russian Athletic Federation's membership.
