MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. A series of German documentaries aired earlier this month about alleged doping abuse by Russian athletes was a politically motivated story, Nikolay Valuev, a lawmaker with the Russian parliament’s lower house, said on Thursday.
Russia has been in the focus of a new doping scandal since early December, when German television aired a series of documentaries about alleged doping abuse by Russian athletes. The ARD’s two-part documentary, entitled Geheimsache Doping (Secret Doping Case) claimed that some Russian athletes had systematically taken prohibited formulas on instructions from their coaches.
“I believe this is a politically motivated story against the background of the current political situation in regard to Russia,” Valuev, a former heavyweight boxer and WBA champion, said. “It was a one-sided story aimed exclusively against Russia.”
“It has not a single word that scandals also happen with foreign athletes,” Valuev said. “There are also cases when athletes found guilty of doping abuse after they wrap up their careers.”
Russian sports authorities dismissed all allegations in the German documentary, while Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA declared that it would conduct its own investigation of the personalities featuring in the documentary.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Tuesday a special commission, which starting next month will be investigating into doping allegations aired in a series of German television documentaries.
“The Independent Commission has the vital task of reviewing the allegations aired during the documentaries, as well as all other information received separately by WADA, to determine if there have been any violations to anti-doping rules,” WADA President, Sir Craig Reedie said.