IOC eyes legal bid to punish Russian

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach speaks during the opening ceremony of the 129th International Olympic Committee session, in Rio de Janeiro on August 1, 2016, ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. REUTERS/

Olympics chief Thomas Bach yesterday urged the author of an explosive report on Russian doping to hand over more information for potential legal proceedings.

Bach has invited Richard McLaren and World Anti-Doping Agency president Craig Reedie to discuss dealing with Russia, which is accused of operating a systematic doping programme.

The olive branch comes after Bach and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were initially sceptical of McLaren’s report and baulked at calls to ban Russia outright from last year’s Rio Olympics.

“What I wanted to discuss with him and Mr. Reedie is first of all whether they can give us further information, further advice, for our (investigative) commissions,” the IOC president said.

“And in such a way, trying to accelerate the procedure and then hopefully come to a solution of this situation,” he told media in South Korea’s Pyeongchang, venue for the 2018 Winter Games.

McLaren’s report detailed “state-sponsored” doping used to help Russian athletes at the 2012 London Olympics, 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and the 2013 world athletics championships in Moscow.