New Zealand's Olympic single sculls rowing champion Mahe Drysdale says Russia must be given a complete ban from next month's Rio Games.
Mahe Drysdale wins the single scull at the London Olympics. Photo: Photosport
Drysdale's call comes in the wake of the World Anti Doping Agency-commissioned McLaren report that found Russia operated a state-sponsored doping programme for four years across the "vast majority" of summer and winter Olympic sports.
The 37-year-old five-time world champion said in a statement posted on social media that a message needed to be sent that this type of behaviour would not be tolerated.
The 2012 London Olympic gold medallist said he was not naive enough to believe Russia was the only country partaking in this type of cheating, and that was he believed the punishment should be harsh.
Drysale also called for a testing regime to be standardised across the world and believes all athletes need to be subjected to a similar level of testing that conforms to WADA standards.
Drug Free Sport New Zealand chief executive Graeme Steel also said Russian athletes should not be allowed to compete at the Games.
He told Morning Report evidence that doping was so pervasive across all the sports meant the need for proof had been reversed, and Russian athletes should be obliged to prove they were drug free.
Mahe Drysdale's full Facebook statement:
With the release of the McLaren report today some of my worse fears have been confirmed. There is still a number of athletes and countries that think it is acceptable to cheat. While I suspected the outcome was probably going to be this, I hoped for integrity sake that the report would prove the accusations were unfounded and mere rumor.
As a clean athlete this truly disappoints me. Thankfully my field is unaffected by this scandal but I feel for all the athletes that think they have not achieved their dreams due to being beaten by cheats. This has to stop!
I have not read the report word for word, but what I have seen, the evidence is truly damning, it has been widespread throughout Russia across a number of sports for a number of years and includes hundreds of positive tests covered up, including influencing results at two Olympic Games by cheating.
Personally I feel there is only one solution and that is a complete ban on Russia in Rio. The evidence seems to suggest it is too wide spread to say it's a few bad eggs. It is systematic. I am sure there are some clean athletes from Russia and these athletes should be able to compete under a neutral flag but the onus is on them to prove they are clean and not involved in doping.
The message needs to be sent, that this type of behaviour won't be tolerated. I am not naive enough to believe Russia is the only country partaking in this type of cheating, that's why the punishment is important and needs to be harsh. All countries and athletes needs to realise it won't be accepted and as athletes it's time to take responsibility and not accept this type of behavior.
Testing regimes need to be standardised across the World and all athletes need to be subjected to a similar level of testing that conforms to WADA standards. Athletes need to demand this and if a country is non compliant it might mean athletes having to train elsewhere in an environment with a compliant testing system. Time to celebrate those that compete clean and make it something to be proud of. I can prove I'm clean, can you?
-RNZ
