Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin admitted on Thursday that his country was involved in institutional doping of athletes in the past but assured that it has put in place a strong anti-doping system to control the menace in sports.
News of widespread doping in Russia broke first in 2016 when New York Times reported that dozens of Russian athletes who competed at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, including at least 15 medal winners, were part of a state-run doping program.
Russia in 2019 was banned from the world’s top sporting events for four years, including the next Summer and Winter Olympics and the 2022 soccer World Cup, for tampering with doping tests.
"In Russia, we did some mistakes but today we have a strong anti-doping system in the world and it's recognised by WADA and UNESCO.
"We must, as a team, create very strong legal regulations to prevent using doping," Matytsin told PTI.
Matytsin, however, urged international sports bodies to educate youth, coaches and athletes regarding doping besides keeping strong laws and regulations.
"They should be educated to play without doping as it is not acceptable.
"It is not only a physical problem for the people who use drugs, it is a problem for the culture of the sport. We have to protect the culture of sport," the minister added.
Russia proposes to host SCO Games
Matytsin also proposed to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Games in Russia during his visit in Delhi.
"We discussed with my colleagues from SCO nations about the possibility to organise Games. We propose Russia as a host country. We need to follow their regulations and should ask Kazakhstan, who will chair the meeting next year," Matytsin said.
The proposal comes despite a ban imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on its member nations to take part in sporting events in that country.
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