US athletes may get medals as Russia hits back at doping claims

(ABC News) — Russia has hit back at claims by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that the country should be banned from athletics for an alleged doping epidemic thought to be so widespread that it is facilitated by the government and even abetted by its intelligence services.

A 323-page report released by an independent commission set up by Montreal-based WADA says “acceptance of cheating at all levels is widespread” in Russia and recommends that the medals won in the London 2012 Olympic Games and other international competitions be stripped from allegedly cheating Russian athletes, which could mean awarding those medals to some U.S. athletes like Alysia Montano.

Video courtesy of ABC News

Montano was leading the women‘s 800-meter race in the 2012 games in London when two Russians, specifically named in the WADA report, and a suspected doper from another country surged passed her. She ended up placing fifth.

“I didn’t get to stand at the podium at the Olympics and watch my flag be raised and honor my country and be proud standing there as I represented my country,” she told ABC News.

But President Vladimir Putin‘s press secretary Peskov told reporters today, “The point is that if some accusations are voiced they should be substantiated by some evidence. No evidence was announced so far, it is difficult to accept any accusations. They are groundless.”

Yet Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, has already launched criminal investigations based on the report, which describes Russian intelligence agency‘s destroying lab results, intimidating workers at drug testing labs and working in cahoots with others to bribe anti-doping officials.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said in a statement, “Russia has been and will be fully committed to the fight against doping in sport” but was ‘puzzled‘ by the accusations.

“The Sports Ministry of Russia will thoroughly examine all conclusions offered by this report and the facts on the basis of which these conclusions were drawn, and relevant measures will be taken,” the Russian ministry said.

Russia has until the end of the week to respond to the accusations, Sebastian Coe, head of track and field‘s governing body, told the BBC.
If the Russians are stripped of their medals, some U.S. athletes could be awarded those medals, including Montano.

Now she stands to earn a bronze medal – and possibly three others – for placing at several other world championships in which she competed against suspected dopers.

Montano said she started shaking when she first heard the news.

By losing to alleged cheaters, she says, she was robbed of money, morale and, for a time, hope.

“There is something to be said about just moments lost,” she said, weeping. “You can’t ever get those moments back. It’s not just about the hardware and the physical metal itself there’s so much that I didn’t get to do.”

She‘s now training for the 2016 games in Brazil, and hoping the Russians won‘t be there.