President Vladimir Putin has emphasized that Russia has never and will never have a state-run doping system, adding that the rights of Russian atheletes accused of doping use should be defended in civil courts.
There are cases of doping use in Russian sports, as well as in many other countries, Putin stated, saying, "We are addressing them."
The statement came right after International Olympic Committee (IOC) annulled the results of four Russian skiers — Alexei Petukhov, Maksim Vylegzhanin, Evgeniya Shapavolava and Yulia Ivaniva, who performed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, stripping two of them of their medals. In addition, the skiers have been disqualified from future Olympic Games.
Earlier this month, the IOC decided to ban Russia's cross country gold medalist Alexander Legkov and fellow athlete Evgeniy Belov for life from the Olympics over alleged use of doping at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games citing a report by WADA commission led by Richard McClaren.
Following the report, the International Olympic Committee opened disciplinary proceedings against 28 Russian athletes who took part in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
While the IOC is expected to decide on whether Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in the 2018 Olympics in December, Russian investigators have concluded that McLaren report's arguments of an alleged doping tests swap were baseless.
READ MORE: No Proof Found of McLaren's Claims of Russian Athletes Doping Tests' Swap
