Sports Minister says doping bans for athletes must be individual

Record ID: 101938

  • Title: Sports Minister says doping bans for athletes must be individual
  • Date: 24th May 2016
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MAY 24, 2016) (REUTERS) RUSSIAN SPORTS MINISTER VITALY MUTKO ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN SPORTS MINISTER, VITALY MUTKO, SAYING: "As a whole we come from the perception that all those criteria, proposed by the international federation (IAAF), they are being thoroughly followed. And generally I don't see serious reasons for not letting our athletes take part in the Olympics. I think punishments for doping violations should always be personal. The person, the athlete who violated doping rules, must be punished." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN SPORTS MINISTER, VITALY MUTKO, SAYING: "I think it's too early to comment on this issue now. A person or an athlete can be accused of violating anti-doping rules only after a disciplinary decision is made. Every case should be treated individually. It should be looked into and I would avoid any general accusations." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN SPORTS MINISTER, VITALY MUTKO, SAYING: "Tens of athletes, specialists, have been disqualified, removed from their positions. The athletics federation banned them from competing. Also we have undertaken additional obligations. All members of our potential national athletic team who might go to Rio, each of them will have to undergo additional doping tests. No less than three times." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 8th June 2016 17:26
  • Keywords: Russia doping athletics olympics meldonium
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • City: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA0014J64EGV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Russia's Sports Ministry and anti-doping authority held a press tour of an anti-doping facility of Tuesday (May 24) in a bid to defuse controversy over a string of doping revelations involving its athletes.
    Currently banned from international competition by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) and with the country's participation in the Rio Olympics in doubt, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said doping punishments must be carried out on a case by case basis.
    "As a whole we come from the perception that all those criteria, proposed by the international federation (IAAF), they are being thoroughly followed. And generally I don't see serious reasons for not letting our athletes take part in the Olympics. I think punishments for doping violations should always be personal. The person, the athlete who violated doping rules must be punished," said Mutko.
    The Russian Olympic Committee said on Tuesday that it had been informed by the International Olympic Committee that re-tests of samples from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing showed positive results for 14 Russian athletes.
    The committee said in a statement that it would not give the names of the Russian athletes until the results of testing of their B samples and the start of official disciplinary proceedings.
    "I think it's too early to comment on this issue now. A person or an athlete can be accused of violating anti-doping rules, only after a disciplinary decision is made. Every case should be treated individually. It should be looked into and I would avoid any general accusations," Mutko said.
    However Russian media published a list of athletes they said had been notified of failures, citing an unnamed source in the Russian Olympic Committee.
    The list included relay team members Yuliya Chermoshanskaya, Anastasia Kapachinskaya, Tatiana Firova and Denis Alexeev, high jumper Anna Chicherova, javelin thrower Maria Abakumova, racewalker Denis Nizhegorodov, steeplechasers Yekaterina Volkova and Gulnara Galkina-Samitova and weightlifters Marina Shainova and Nadezhda Evstyukhina, according to the Russian media reports. They are all medal winners and may now lose their awards.
    Russia's athletics federation said in a statement on Tuesday that it would not allow athletes who had been caught doping in previous years into the Russian team for the Rio Olympics.
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