TORONTO — An independent investigation led by a Canadian law professor has confirmed widespread, state-sponsored doping in Russian sports.
Richard McLaren of Western University unveiled the report’s findings this morning in Toronto.
He says labs in Moscow and Sochi protected Russian athletes.
According to the report, the lab at the Sochi Olympics “operated a unique sample swapping methodology” that allowed Russian athletes to compete at the 2014 Winter Games.
The report also says that Russia’s Ministry of Sport “controlled and oversaw the manipulation of athlete’s analytical results or sample swapping” with the “active participation” of other government bodies, including the country’s security agency.
The World Anti-Doping Agency commissioned the investigation following a New York Times story in May that detailed a state-run system that helped athletes get away with cheating and win medals at the Sochi Games.
McLaren says he’s “supremely confident” in the report’s findings.
The results of the report could lead to Russia being banned from next month’s Summer Olympics in Rio.
