MOSCOW (AP) — Facing allegations
that Russia engages in extensive, state-sponsored doping, President
Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called on sports officials to carry out an
internal investigation - but said that clean athletes shouldn't be
punished for the actions of those who take banned drugs.
Putin's
comments at a late-night meeting in Sochi, the city that hosted the 2014
Winter Olympics, reflected concerns that Russia's track and field
athletes could be hit with a blanket ban for next year's summer Games in
Rio de Janeiro.
Putin ordered
Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and "all colleagues connected with sport"
to pay close attention to the doping allegations and for an internal
investigation to be conducted - one that guaranteed full cooperation
with international anti-doping bodies.
"The struggle with doping in sports, unfortunately, remains a pressing issue and it requires unending attention," he said.
However, Putin also drew a clear distinction with clean athletes.
"It's
absolutely clear that athletes who stay away from dope ... shouldn't be
held responsible" for those who use performance enhancing drugs, he
said.
After the meeting, Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukhov echoed that position.
"I
am confident that Russian athletes who are honest and clean, who never
used doping, who undergo various checks -- no one has the right to strip
them of the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games," he said,
according to state news agency Tass.
The meeting was delayed by
hours because of heavy rains that prevented sports federation heads from
flying to Sochi. However, Putin's determination to press ahead with the
session indicated the sensitivity of the issue for Russia.
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A woman walks past a mosaic picture showing athletes at a park in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Nov. 10, …
The meeting came in the wake of Monday's report by an
independent commission appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency that
said Russian sports is plagued by extensive, state-sanctioned doping.
As
a result of the report, Putin is now up against a Friday deadline for
track's governing body to decide on whether to suspend Russia - a first
step toward excluding its athletes from next year's Olympics.
Sports
are a substantial piece of Russia's self-esteem -- both in athletes'
performances and its ability to host huge international events. Putin
himself has built much of his image on vigorous athletic exploits of his
own.
Earlier, Mutko said the country was ready to allow a foreigner to take charge of its troubled anti-doping laboratory.
Grigory
Rodchenkov resigned Tuesday as the lab's director, a day after he was
accused of concealing positive doping tests, extorting money from
athletes and destroying 1,417 samples.
The lab - which handled doping tests for last year's Winter Olympics - has stopped work after WADA stripped its accreditation.
In
comments reported by Russian agency R-Sport, Mutko said Russia was
ready "to put a foreign specialist in charge of the laboratory, if
that's what's needed."
Mutko's comments came as the governing body
of swimming said Wednesday it is moving its doping test samples taken
at the world championships in Russia to the WADA-accredited lab in
Barcelona.
FINA said in a statement that it "expresses its deep
concern" over the publication of the WADA-commissioned report "and its
impact in worldwide sport in general."
IOC President Thomas Bach
said he expected track's ruling body, the International Association of
Athletics Federations, to take "necessary measures" against the Russian
track and field federation on Friday.
Russia could be suspended
from the sport - nine months before next year's Olympics - when IAAF
President Sebastian Coe convenes a meeting of his ruling council.
Bach told reporters in Lausanne, Switzerland, that "the IAAF has informed us they will take the necessary measures."
Bach said he expects the IAAF decisions will "protect clean athletes."
Russian
track federation vice president Tatyana Lebedeva, a former Olympic long
jump champion, said the organization has carried out enough reforms to
deserve a place at next year's Olympics despite the doping scandal.
Lebedeva
told The Associated Press "our federation has done everything possible
that was in its power" to reform over the last year, since a German
documentary about systematic doping in Russia aired.
