Neither WADA nor the IOC have linked Putin to the conspiracy.GETTY IMAGES
Russia President Vladimir Putin "ordered the doping conspiracy that led hundreds of athletes to use banned performance-enhancing drugs," whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov claimed, according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow's anti-doping laboratory, said that "only Putin could have authorised the use of the FSB -- Russia's secret service -- for such a scheme." Rodchenkov, who had a "key role in the conspiracy," told German broadcaster ARD, "Of course it came all the way from the top, from the president. Only the president can deploy the domestic secret service FSB for such a special task." He added that Putin "could not deny" knowledge of the scheme. Neither WADA nor the IOC have linked Putin to the conspiracy, "only pointing to the sports ministry" and imposing lifetime Olympic bans on Russia Deputy PM & former Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and former Deputy Sports Minister Yuri Nagornikh (LONDON TIMES, 1/29).
POTENTIAL INTEGRITY ISSUE: REUTERS' Gene Cherry reported WADA has begun an investigation into a "potential integrity issue" with new generation security bottles used in doping control, the global agency said on Sunday. WADA said that it had been informed by the accredited laboratory in Cologne, Germany, that security bottles introduced in September may potentially be susceptible to manual opening "upon freezing" of a sample. WADA: "This situation, if confirmed, will raise concerns and questions" (REUTERS, 1/28).
