Paris: IOC president Thomas Bach said today that athletes and federations face life bans from the Olympics as he warned that doping has hit “an unprecedented level of criminality”.
The International Olympic Committee leader also heightened pressure on Russia to clear up allegations of interference in testing at its doping laboratory during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
With 31 athletes from 12 countries already facing a ban from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August, Bach warned in a commentary in Le Monde newspaper of tough sanctions, including against individual federations, if the accusations against Russia were proved.
The allegations against the Sochi laboratory are “very detailed and therefore very worrying”, Bach said. “Should the investigation prove the allegations true it would represent a shocking new dimension in doping with an, until now, unprecedented level of criminality,” added Bach.
He said there would be “zero tolerance” against athletes and their entourage.
“This action could range from life-long Olympic bans for any implicated person, to tough financial sanctions, to acceptance of suspension or exclusion of entire national federations like the already existing one for Russia by IAAF.”
Bach also warned that a Wada inquiry into Russia’s actions in Sochi could “greatly influence” whether its athletes are allowed to return for Rio.
