Two Russian athletes have admitted taking banned performance-enhancing substances given to them by Grigory Rodchenkov, the scientist who says he orchestrated a massive state-sponsored doping programme before the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
The Russian authorities deny such a programme existed but Rodchenkov, who headed the country’s main anti-doping laboratory from 2005 to 2015, says at least 14 medal winners took part and that tainted urine samples from Russian athletes were substituted for clean ones to help them pass drug tests at the Games. This is the first time any Russian athletes have confessed to using doping cocktails supplied by Rodchenkov, who fled to the United States last year.
