Photo Credit:
Sochi
Olympic Park | Photo Credit (+Cover Photo): Atos International

In what many are referring to as the largest organized doping program in history, Russia is now having to defend the 33 medals its athletes won during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

According to a newly published report by the New York Times, the director of Russia’s anti-doping agency, Grigory Rodchenkov claims he crafted steroid cocktails mixed with alcohol for Russia’s Sochi athletes and when the time came for urine tests, he was assisted by Russia’s intelligence agency, F.S.B. in covering up the results.

Rodchenkov claims that a third of Russia’s medal winning athletes were a part of his state-sponsored doping program.

The operation, which is reminiscent of a James Bond movie, included running a shadow laboratory next to the office where urine was stored. Under the cover of night, operatives would fill the lab and ultimately swap dirty urine for clean urine through a makeshift hole in the wall. They used a false wooden drawer to conceal the hole during daytime hours.

The Accused

Alexander Zubkov- 2 Gold Medals (Bobsled)

Alexander Legkov – 1 Gold and Silver (Cross Country)

Alexander Tretyakov – Gold (Skeleton)

However, the most bewildering detail includes the bottles in which the urine was stored. According to Rodchenkov, a man he believes to be a member of Russia’s F.S.B. came to his laboratory in 2013 and inquired about the bottles. Those bottles boast a swiss engineered, tamper proof cap that cannot be removed without breaking the cap itself. Rodchenkov claims the mysterious man brought in one of the bottles just days before the games– the cap was off and intact.

Russian athletes won 33 medals @Sochi, 13 of which were gold.

So far, Russian sports ministry officials have vehemently denied the report and are saying the story is just another American ploy to undermine Russian sport. Vladimir Putin has since launched an inquiry into the accusations and an independent investigation by The World Anti-Doping Agency should be forthcoming.

Find the entire New York Times article here: Russian Insider Says State-Run Doping Fueled Olympic Gold

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