‘Russia still violating IAAF rules over doping’

MOSCOW: Russia continues to violate anti-doping rules despite its suspension from international track and field and orders from world athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, to eradicate cheating, Germany’s ARD broadcaster said on Sunday.

ARD said coaches suspended in the worst corruption and doping scandal to hit the IAAF were still working in the sport, while others continued to provide banned substances to athletes.

Vladimir Kazarin, one of the suspended coaches who appeared in the ARD documentary, described the accusations in a telephone interview with Reuters as “an absolute load of rubbish”. He said they were intended to make sure Olympic superpower Russia was not allowed to compete in the Rio Olympics beginning in August.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko told Reuters by telephone it was “eye-opening that a state television channel in Germany is so concerned about the situation in Russia”. “These facts have once again been taken out of context and are an attempt to mislead the public. We have a huge country, with 83 regions. It is possible that a banned coach could be working somewhere, but certainly not with the national team and not at official events,” he said.