Russian official levels new charges in 2014 Winter Olympics doping scheme

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Now: new revelations about an elaborate scheme of alleged doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics. A top Russian Olympic official says that his government orchestrated a plan to supply dozens of athletes with performance-enhancing drugs.

The head of Russia's anti-doping lab during the competition in Sochi, Russia, Grigory Rodchenkov, told The New York Times he created a cocktail of drugs for a state-run doping program that included 15 medal winners. Among those alleged to have received drugs are members of the cross-country ski team and two bobsledders who won two gold medals.

Russian officials deny the accusations.

Rebecca Ruiz is one of The Times reporters, and she joins me now.

Rebecca, thank you for talking with us.

There have been rumors, I guess, in the air for a long time about banned substances being used by Russian athletes. What exactly did you learn?

REBECCA RUIZ, The New York Times:

Well, not just rumors, Judy. It's fascinating, because Russia does lead the world in doping violations among its athletes internationally.

But what is fascinating, Mr. Rodchenkov provided incredible details that in many ways validated a report that came out last fall. It was published by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and it was the result of an almost-year-long inquiry. He confirmed a lot of what the WADA report had said broadly.

The WADA report said that at the Olympic laboratory in Sochi in 2014, there had been a police presence, that FSB officers, the Russian police, had been present on site in the laboratory. Some had been seen in lab coats.

He provided details that some of those agents he worked with every night to substitute out the tainted urine of top Russian athletes who were expected to win medals at the Games.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

So, essentially, he is saying the government was behind this?

REBECCA RUIZ:

He is saying that the sports ministry gave him direct orders to operate, to follow — to execute these orders and to — quote, unquote — "win at any cost."

JUDY WOODRUFF:

So, Rebecca, why is he, why is Mr. Rodchenkov coming forward? Why is he talking?

REBECCA RUIZ:

Well, ahead of the Summer Games in Rio, which are in three months, Mr. Rodchenkov said he wants it known that there is state-sponsored doping in Russia, that a lot of these athletes who are due to compete in Rio, he said, without providing names of those competing in the Summer Games, that they have been on his three-drug cocktail in years past.

And, meanwhile, track and field athletes, Russia's track and field athletes were suspended from global competition in the wake of the report last fall. So, currently, officials are deciding whether that ban will be lifted in advance of the Olympics in August.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

We saw that the Russian government is saying it isn't true. He said this is simply a continuation of the information attack on Russian sport.

REBECCA RUIZ:

Yes, that's what officials told us as well, and we absolutely included their denials of our allegations. We reached out to the six sports federations whose athletes were implicated, whose names we had in this spreadsheet that showed dozens of athletes who competed at the Sochi Games who Mr. Rodchenkov says doped throughout the games and many of whom captured medals.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Is Mr. Rodchenkov safe in the United States? I ask because you report that two of his former close colleagues back in Russia died unexpectedly a few months ago, just within a few weeks of each other.

REBECCA RUIZ:

That's correct.

In fact, he departed in November. He fled to the United States, fearing for his safety. He went to Los Angeles. We're not giving any specifics about his location beyond that. But two of his close colleagues from the anti-doping world did die unexpectedly, suddenly, in February within weeks of each other.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

And just finally, Rebecca, is the International Olympic Committee, is anyone investigating this now?

REBECCA RUIZ:

We contacted the International Olympic Committee today. They said that they were worried about these very detailed allegations, and they called on WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, to act and to investigate his specific claims.

WADA, meanwhile, has had board meetings today in Canada, and we have been unable to connect with any WADA official by phone and to get specific answers to our questions. But they have said that they are looking into allegations of doping by Russian athletes throughout the Olympic Games in Sochi, not just before the Games, in the lead-up to the Games, as Mr. Rodchenkov also said happened at past competitions, leading up to Beijing, leading up to London.

But he says that, throughout the entirety of the Sochi Games, Russian athletes were doping.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Well, quite a story.

Rebecca Ruiz, who reported on this for The New York Times, we thank you.

REBECCA RUIZ:

Thank you very much, Judy.