UCI President Brian Cookson said he has confidence in the Russian Cycling Federation despite the huge doping scandal that hit Russian sport in recent weeks following the publication of the World Anti-Doping Agency independent report that investigated athletics.
Former WADA president Dick Pound led the investigation and uncovered what was described as “deeply rooted culture of cheating”, with officials allegedly demanding kickbacks to cover up cases of doping, and an organised system of doping and parallel anti-doping tests to protect leading athletes.
Pound recommended that Russian athletes be suspended from competition and barred from the Olympic Games in Rio next year unless it entirely overhauls its approach. Pound said the “very damaging” findings were a reminder of an “inherited attitude from the old Cold War days”, and were probably the tip of the iceberg that extends to other countries and other sports.
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WADA is currently holding a vital Executive Committee and Foundation Board meeting in Colorado Springs, and could announce further punishment for Russian anti-doping and Russian sport in the next few days. The WADA Athlete Committee Chair Beckie Scott stated today that WADA should expand Independent Commission's mandate to examine all sports in Russia.
Cookson told Sky Sports News in Britain, however, that he has confidence in the Russian Cycling Federation, that they are doing the right thing and are not covering up any illicit activity.
"I have always had concerns about all nations and all teams in our sport. I think it would be foolish of me to say I didn't have any concerns about any particular geography, any particular country, any particular branch of our sport. But I'm confident that the people running the Russian Cycling Federation are trying to do the right thing and I'm sure that if there were any problems there, they would not want to cover them up at all. But, at the moment, I'm not aware of anything specific and, if and when I was, I would take appropriate action," Cookson told Sky Sports News.
— WADA (@wada_ama) November 18, 2015
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