Court finds Russia had no state-sponsored doping programme — and returns its Sochi medals
Moscow — Top Russian officials welcomed a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday to lift bans on 28 of its athletes, saying the ruling proved a state-sponsored doping system did not exist. "We are very glad for our athletes," said President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. "The decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport proves that energetic work to stand up for our rights in court and elsewhere — it is justified, it can be effective and it should continue. And we are hoping that this work will certainly continue." Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Russian deputy prime minister in charge of sport said the Lausanne-based court finding proved Moscow did not have a vast state-sponsored system of doping in place, contrary to the McLaren report. "There wasn’t any system or any sort of manipulation at the Sochi Olympic Games," Vitaly Mutko told the meeting chaired by prime minister Dmitry Medvedev. "We’ve always said that but today the Court of Arbitration...
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