Grigory welcomes decision

Living

in fear

Los Angeles, Dec. 6: The whistleblower who played a central role in the doping program which led to Russia’s expulsion from the Winter Olympics welcomed the International Olympic Committee’s ban on Wednesday, his lawyer said.

Grigory Rodchenkov has been living in hiding in the United States since lifting the lid on the intricate workings of the state- supported scheme to cheat athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Rodchenkov’s lawyer, Jim Walden, told reporters on a conference call on Wednesday that the former doping laboratory chief was “proud of the work that the IOC has done”.

“Today’s decision sends a powerful message that the IOC has joined the world community in saying that Russia’s cheating needs to be severely sanctioned,” Walden said.

“It was the most elaborate and sophisticated doping system in the history of sports. If it did not carry the most significant sanction it would simply have emboldened Russia and other countries who don’t respect the rules.” Walden said however that Rodchenkov remained concerned for family and friends who remain in Russia, fearing the possibility of reprisals.

“He is enormously concerned for his family, who he had to leave in Russia,” Walden said.

“He hopes that the world will come together to watch out over them in case there are attempts to retaliate against them,” he added.

“Rodchenkov’s opportunity to communicate with the outside world was “very limited”, Walden said. Two former colleagues of Rodchenkov died suddenly in February 2016, just months after news of the doping scandal first erupted after a bombshell WADA report.

“My hope is that the situation improves from here, but the Kremlin has proved to be a very determined and difficult adversary for Grigory,” Walden said.

“The future ahead is hard to chart but for sure, he knows, without any doubt, that he’s going to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life,” he added. — AFP