Support The Moscow Times!

Putin Was Behind Russia’s Olympic Doping — Whistleblower

Grigory Rodchenkov Vitaliy Belousov / TASS

A key Russian whistleblower has claimed that President Vladimir Putin was personally involved in a state-run doping scheme that led to the mass disqualifications of Russian athletes from next month’s Winter Games.

Russian Paralympians were barred on Monday from participating under the Russian flag at the games in South Korea next month, following a ban handed down to the country’s Olympic team over claims of mass doping violations.

“Of course it came from the very top, from the president. Because only the president could engage the FSB for such a specific task,” the former head of Moscow’s anti-doping lab Grigory Rodchenkov said in a German documentary that aired Monday.

Rodchenkov, who fled to the United States after going public about supplying Russian athletes with banned substances, detailed the chain of command that made him two steps removed from the president.

In his joint interview with the Deutschlandfunk and ARD German broadcasters, Rodchenkov said that he reported to then-deputy sports minister Yury Nagornykh, who reported to ex-sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who then reported to Putin.

“Because Putin wanted to know everything,” the whistleblower said.

Rodchenkov further alleged that state-sanctioned doping practices took place at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Rodchenkov’s allegations slanderous in a Tuesday conference call with reporters, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Whistleblower testimony is one of 17 criteria that the International Olympic Committee used to determine which Russian athletes would be allowed to compete under a neutral flag at the Winter Games.

A total of 169 clean Russian athletes will travel to South Korea next month to compete as neutrals.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more