WADA on Wednesday "urged Russia to stop shifting blame" for its doping scandals after Russian Deputy PM Vitaly Mutko "partially blamed WADA for the problems," according to Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber of REUTERS. Mutko said that WADA should have "been held responsible" for Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow’s discredited anti-doping laboratory. Rodchenkov, identified in a '15 WADA report as an "aider and abettor of the doping activities," revealed a scheme to cover up Russian competitors’ positive drug samples at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Mutko, the former sports minister, said that Russia had "acknowledged Rodchenkov’s violations of anti-doping regulations and fired him." Mutko: "Before that it (WADA) should have taken responsibility for this man, given that it licensed him and granted him the right to work." WADA dismissed Mutko's assertions. WADA spokesperson Maggie Durand said, "WADA would expect the Russian authorities to take responsibility for this deliberate system of cheating that was uncovered by the McLaren Investigation -- as is stipulated within RUSADA’s [Russian Anti-Doping Agency] Roadmap to Compliance -- rather than continually shifting the blame onto others" (REUTERS, 9/13).
