MORE than 1,000 Russian athletes benefited from the biggest doping scandal in history, according to the second part of Professor Richard McLaren’s damning report into state sponsored cheating at recent Olympics and other major events.
Law professor Richard McLaren also said London 2012 was “corrupted on an unprecedented scale”.
McLaren said the 1,000 individuals identified had been linked to the doping scheme between 2011 and 2014.
“It was a cover-up that evolved from uncontrolled chaos to an institutionalised and disciplined medal-winning conspiracy,” says the report, written by Canadian-born McLaren.
The findings confirmed and expanded on much of the evidence contained in the Canadian law professor’s first report issued in July.
“We are now able to confirm a cover up that dates back until at least 2011 and continued after the Sochi Olympic Games.
“It was a cover-up of an unprecedented scale and the second part of this report shows the evidence that increases the number of athletes involved as well as the scope of the conspiracy and cover up.
“We have evidence revealing that more than 500 positive results were reported as negative, including well-known and elite-level athletes, who had their positive results automatically falsified.”
Richard McLaren said Russia won 24 gold, 26 silver and 32 bronze medals at London 2012 and no Russian athlete tested positive.
“Yet the Russian team corrupted the London Games on an unprecedented scale, the extent of which will probably never be fully established,” he said.
“The desire to win medals superseded their collective moral and ethical compass and Olympic values of fair play.
“For years international sports competitions have unknowingly been hijacked by the Russians. Coaches and athletes have been playing on an uneven field.”
The latest report will put pressure on the International Olympic Committee to take action ahead of the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
His findings will be sent to the IOC, which has two commissions looking into the allegations.
IOC president Thomas Bach has said stiff sanctions will be taken against any athletes and officials implicated in doping. He said he favors lifetime Olympic bans for anyone involved.
Other findings include:
— Six Russian athletes who won a total of 21 medals at the Sochi Paralympics had their urine samples tampered with.
— Two female hockey players at the Sochi Olympics had samples that contained male DNA.
— Eight Sochi samples had salt content that was physiologically impossible in a healthy human.
#IOC are you listening?? Parting call from #richardmclaren for all organisations & federations to work together to move forward.. pic.twitter.com/57iW5XM5C9
— Amanda Davies (@AmandaDCNN) December 9, 2016
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