Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko on Friday said he is ready to liquidate Russia's Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and create a new body in the wake of a scathing international investigation into alleged systemic doping in Russian sport, the R-Sport news site reported.
“If there are any questions or propositions from WADA, IAAF, or the International Olympic Committee about our direction, or suggestions on the roadmap, we are ready to re-accredit the laboratory, reform it or create a new anti-doping organization,” Mutko said.
“We are ready for broad cooperation,” he stressed.
A report published on Monday by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) accused Russian athletes of doping en masse, calling for a ban on Russian athletes from international competitions and for Russia's national doping lab to lose its accreditation for helping cover-up doping.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is expected to issue a ruling on Friday that will determine Russia's participation in the upcoming Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, and Russian officials are lobbying hard ahead of the ruling to preserve Russia's standing.
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