canadian lawyer Richard McLaren cannot be called the best friend of Russian sport, but his new statement could change the public position regarding the participation of Russian athletes in international tournaments, State Duma Deputy Boris Paykin told .
Earlier, the International Olympic Committee called on international sports federations to withdraw Russian athletes from official competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. On Sunday, the head of the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) charged with investigating the doping scandal at the 2014 Olympics, McLaren, in an interview with Sportschau, called for the admission of Russian athletes to the international competitions.
— The discourse on sports sanctions is changing. Richard McLaren cannot be called the best friend of Russian sport, but it was he who reminded the world community that sport is outside of politics and that the expulsion of Russian athletes is an attack on their professional rights. He called for the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions. I think the preparation of public opinion for Russia’s return to the world stage has begun, Paikin told .
In 2016, McLaren wrote a report in which he stated that in Russia there was a state system that manipulated doping samples and covered up athletes. In 2017, Vitaly Smirnov, who headed the Independent Public Anti-Doping Commission, said McLaren had dropped allegations of state support for Russian doping.
Source : MatchTV
