WADA Report Based on Single Testimony Politicized - Ex-Armenia Official

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) report accusing Russia of having run a state-wide doping program is politicized and unjust, as it is based on the testimony of one person only with a scandalous reputation, ex-President of the Olympic Committee of Armenia Ruben Hakobyan told Sputnik on Tuesday.

On Monday, an independent commission led by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren presented a report, accusing Russia of having run a state-sponsored doping program. Former director of Moscow anti-doping laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov served as the main and only source for the report. WADA then called on the IOC o consider declining entries from all athletes submitted by the Russian Olympic and Paralympic committees for the upcoming Olympic Games.

"I believe that this investigation and the report are politicized and unjust. WADA report is based on the testimony of one person. Rodchenkov is an untrustworthy person as he fled and betrayed his country. His words should not be a dogma for such creditable organization as WADA," Hakobyan said.

Following the report release, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would carry out an investigation of allegations, adding that officials implicated in it as direct perpetrators of doping violations would be suspended through course of investigation. Putin also called on WADA to provide full, factual and objective information so that the country’s law enforcers could take it into the account in their investigation.

On Tuesday, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that four Russian sports officials named in the WADA report claiming state-sanctioned doping have been temporarily suspended from their duties. Mutko said also that WADA informant was not trustworthy, stressing that a criminal case was opened against him in Russia.