Newest in Russian doping scandal to be revealed tomorrow

The next chapter on the doping scandal that has plagued Russian athletics is out tomorrow. Whatever findings come out of this newest report will determine how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will deal with the country going forward.

This is coming on the heels of the IOC extending the ban on Russia. Initially the country was banned from international competition in November of last year. That ban was then upheld and caused Russian athletes to sit out from track and road racing competitions at this year’s Olympics in Brazil. 

This newest and final report has been conducted by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren and while his past work focused on a state-sponsored, systemic doping issue and cover-ups of positive athlete samples, this newest report is going to reveal the details behind the manipulation of athlete samples and corruption specifically leading up the the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. 

The ban that was put into effect against Russian athletes has been extended, according to the BBC, until further notice. Tomorrow’s report and the evidence that will follow will determine the timeline on the ban but as reported by the BBC, it’s likely that Russian athletes will miss the European indoor championships in March as well. Russia is hoping to have cleaned up their act on time to be present at the world championships happening in August, 2017. 

According to a recent report by The Guardian, this next report could be just as damning as evidence revealed in the past that led to the ban against Russia in the first place. And many expect it to be. 

Information surrounding the ways in which results in Sochi were skewed is going to largely affect how the IOC determines the next plan of action going forward– and the timeline. 

While McLaren’s final chapter will be in the hands of all those concerned with global anti-doping measures tomorrow, the IAAF is going to head to Russia early in the new year to evaluate how the country has responded to the findings.