The Russian government operated “a state-dictated failsafe system” of doping in sport including at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency independent report released Monday.
The report by Canadian professor Richard McLaren said the programme was organised by the Russian sports ministry with the “active participation and assistance” of the FSB secret service.
The United States and Canada may now lead calls for Russia to be completely banned from the Rio Olympics because of the report findings.
–Key findings in Monday's 96-page report published by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) into doping at the Sochi 2014 Olympics and other events:
* "The surprise result of the Sochi investigation was the revelation of the extent of state oversight and directed control of the Moscow laboratory in processing, and covering up urine samples of Russian athletes from virtually all sports before and after the Sochi Games.
* "The Moscow laboratory operated, for the protection of doped Russian athletes, within a state-dictated failsafe system, described in the report as the Disappearing Positive Methodology."
* "The Sochi Laboratory operated a unique sample swapping methodology to enable doped Russian athletes to compete at the Games."
* "The Ministry of Sport directed, controlled and oversaw the manipulation of athlete's analytical results or sample swapping, with the active participation and assistance of the FSB (Russian secret service), CSP, and both Moscow and Sochi Laboratories."
* "The Moscow laboratory personnel did not have a choice in whether to be involved in the State directed system."
* "The State implemented a simple failsafe strategy. If all the operational precautions to promote and permit doping by Russian athletes proved to have been ineffective for whatever reason, the laboratory provided a failsafe mechanism."
* "The State had the ability to transform a positive analytical result into a negative one by ordering that the analytical process of the Moscow Laboratory be altered. The Ministry of Sport, RUSADA and the Russian Federal Security Service (the "FSB") were all involved in this operation."
* "After the completion of the (2013) Moscow (world athletics) championships, the laboratory held a number of positive samples that needed to be swapped by removing the cap and replacing the athlete's dirty urine before the samples were shipped to another laboratory as instructed by the IAAF."
* "The investigation has established the Findings set out in this Report beyond a reasonable doubt." - AFP