BEIJING // The Russian team yesterday denied accusations of "systematic doping" among its athletes and questioned the timing of the announcements days before the Beijing Olympics that several of them had failed drugs tests. Some leading Russian medal hopes, including track and field athletes, a cyclist and a race walker, have been expelled or suspended from the Games in the past week after failed tests and accusations of switching urine samples or abnormal blood levels.
When asked on Tuesday about the latest case of three walkers, the head of the International Olympic Committee's medical commission, Arne Ljungqvist, had said it appeared to be an example of "systematic, planned doping". The Russian Olympic Committee spokesman Gennady Shvets said it was far too early to talk about any such thing. "It is strange that someone has said there is systematic doping. These situations are very unpleasant, but to say it is systematic is premature," he said.
"When they discovered the Balco laboratories in the United States it was sad, but they didn't say that the whole of US sport was involved in doping," he added, referring to the San Francisco lab which provided top athletes with drugs. Shvets said officials had known about the results for months and the decision to wait until just before the Games seemed to be designed to make life difficult for the Russian team.
"These results were known ages ago, (but) they decided to release them just before the Olympic Games," said Shvets. "There is a feeling that they (officials) did it especially to create unpleasantness for us. "No one is excusing the athletes who broke the Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) code." Russia, who along with the United States are the main challengers to the host China's bid to top the medal standings come the end of the Games, have been gradually dropping podium hopefuls in the run-up to the official start of the tournament today.
* Reuters
