Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko said that a report accusing the Russian athletes of doping won’t affect the country’s hosting the 2018 World Cup.
“Someone has a great desire to take [the World Cup] away,” Mutko told reporters on Wednesday. “We understand that everyone has their own goals, but overall I do not see any problems.”
Read about Russia's embattled former Minister of Sport
Mutko praised ongoing preparations for the championship by pointing out they had improved the country’s infrastructure.
Last week, Robert McLaren of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Independent Commission published the second installment of a report on Russia’s doping program. The report claims to have identified over 1,000 Russian athletes in 30 Olympic sports who used prohibited substances.
The 2018 World Cup is set to take place between June 14 and July 15, 2018. The competition will be held in 11 Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad.
