Russia blames US for playing ‘dirty tricks’ in doping scandal

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov [Photo: Courtesy]

Seething war of words between Russia and United States is becoming eminent after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the US of perpetrating the doping scandal against Russian athletes.

According to a news report by Sports-oriented magazine, Inside the Games, Lavrov bashed the US while he was speaking to a Russian television station. He blamed the US on the sorry state which has led to the suspension of Russian Olympics Committee hence forcing some Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag. Lavrov asserted that US “cannot beat them fairly”.

"All rivals must be pushed to one side. All means are good [in a] campaign which is anti-Russian." He said.

He added that US has been trying all the means within their power to lock out strong competitors like Russia out of the Olympics so that they can have the leeway to dominate the sport.

According to Lavrov, US have taken hostage of the individuals who are being investigated in connection with Russian doping scandal. Grigory Rodchenkov who is the former director of Moscow Laboratory is an example of the several witnesses who are under the witness protection in the US.

Lavrov views this as a way through which the US is hell-bent on jeopardizing the Russian Olympics to ‘tame them.’

Some Russian athletes were compelled by circumstances to match under the ‘neutral’ IOC flag during the opening of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on February 9.

The axe fell on various Russian athletes. But a breakthrough came out after 168 athletes were later cleared for competition but on condition. The athletes are only allowed to compete under the tag “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”