02:07Russia: ‘Every punishment should be individual’ - Putin on WADA ban
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) decision to ban Russia from all global sport means the country is being punished twice for the same violation. Putin was speaking at his annual press conference at the World Trade Centre in Moscow on Thursday.
"This happened again for the same reason. This is not possible in any law system in the world and has never been done in human history and, I hope, will never happen," the Russian leader said.
"If someone is specifically caught in something, then this is completely natural and fair. If the overwhelming majority of our athletes are clean, how can sanctions be imposed on them for the actions of others?" said Putin.
Later on Thursday the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) Supervisory Board is expected to announce whether it will appeal WADA's decision.
Last week Russia was handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events, including upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The decision came after RUSADA was declared non-compliant for manipulating the Moscow laboratory data, which was handed over to WADA investigators in January 2019.
02:07Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) decision to ban Russia from all global sport means the country is being punished twice for the same violation. Putin was speaking at his annual press conference at the World Trade Centre in Moscow on Thursday.
"This happened again for the same reason. This is not possible in any law system in the world and has never been done in human history and, I hope, will never happen," the Russian leader said.
"If someone is specifically caught in something, then this is completely natural and fair. If the overwhelming majority of our athletes are clean, how can sanctions be imposed on them for the actions of others?" said Putin.
Later on Thursday the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) Supervisory Board is expected to announce whether it will appeal WADA's decision.
Last week Russia was handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events, including upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The decision came after RUSADA was declared non-compliant for manipulating the Moscow laboratory data, which was handed over to WADA investigators in January 2019.