Putin says responsibility for doping abuse in sports must be personal

The responsibility for violations of regulations concerning performance enhancing drugs in sports must be personal, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

"The most important is that there is a general approach in law and in this case there is a personal one," Putin said on Thursday, reports TASS.

"The responsibility must be personal. If it is proved. Those guilty - either a coach, or an organiser, or an athlete - they must be held responsible (personally)."

The Russian president said "that people, who have nothing to do with those who commit various violations must not be held responsible for them," because it is "simply nonsense, unfair and wrong".

The Independent Commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published on November 9 the results of its probe into the activities of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF), the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and the Russian sports ministry.

The commission accused certain athletes and sports officials of doping abuse and involvement in other activities related to violations of international regulations on performance enhancing substances.

RUSADA and the Moscow anti-doping laboratory subsequently suspended their activities, while WADA's Board of Founders approved the decision of the agency's Independent Committee that RUSADA did not comply with the Code of the international anti-doping organisation.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said at its Council meeting in November that a report prepared by the All-Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) on the struggle against doping was unsatisfactory and decided by a majority of votes to suspend Russia's membership in the international athletics association.

Sports Minister Mutko travelled on November 25-26 to Germany's Frankfurt, where he met with the administration of WADA, and a road map on the settlement of the current situation was drafted as a result of that meeting.

Experts say it is highly possible that Russian national athletics teams will be suspended from the Summer Olympic Games in Brazil next year.

The WADA Independent Commission was set up and began its work earlier, following a series of German documentaries on the alleged mass use of performance enhancing drugs among Russia's field and track athletes.