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Friday 29 of March 2024

Putin orders Russian diplomats to seek doping rule changes


Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during a meeting with opposition candidates who ran against him in yesterday's presidential election, Boris Titov, Maxim Suraykin, Ksenia Sobchak, Vladimir Zhirinivsky, Pavel Grudinin, Sergei Baburin and Grigory Yavlinsky, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 19, 2018. Putin, who won a landslide victory in Sunday's vote, said during a Kremlin meeting with seven other candidates who challenged him, that the focus should now be on raising living standards and solving other domestic issues. (Yuri Kadobnov/Pool Photo via AP),Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during a meeting with opposition candidates who ran against him in yesterday's presidential election, Boris Titov, Maxim Suraykin, Ksenia Sobchak, Vladimir Zhirinivsky, Pavel Grudinin, Sergei Baburin and Grigory Yavlinsky, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 19, 2018. Putin, who won a landslide victory in Sunday's vote, said during a Kremlin meeting with seven other candidates who challenged him, that the focus should now be on raising living standards and solving other domestic issues. (Yuri Kadobnov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during a meeting with opposition candidates who ran against him in yesterday's presidential election, Boris Titov, Maxim Suraykin, Ksenia Sobchak, Vladimir Zhirinivsky, Pavel Grudinin, Sergei Baburin and Grigory Yavlinsky, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 19, 2018. Putin, who won a landslide victory in Sunday's vote, said during a Kremlin meeting with seven other candidates who challenged him, that the focus should now be on raising living standards and solving other domestic issues. (Yuri Kadobnov/Pool Photo via AP),Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during a meeting with opposition candidates who ran against him in yesterday's presidential election, Boris Titov, Maxim Suraykin, Ksenia Sobchak, Vladimir Zhirinivsky, Pavel Grudinin, Sergei Baburin and Grigory Yavlinsky, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 19, 2018. Putin, who won a landslide victory in Sunday's vote, said during a Kremlin meeting with seven other candidates who challenged him, that the focus should now be on raising living standards and solving other domestic issues. (Yuri Kadobnov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his country's diplomats to seek changes to international doping rules in the wake of the nation's drug scandals. Putin says the Foreign Ministry should try to alter the key treaty underpinning anti-doping work worldwide. He adds Russian diplomats working with UNESCO should aim to "refine" the existing International Convention against Doping in Sport so that "the rules are fair and absolutely transparent."

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his country’s diplomats to seek changes to international doping rules in the wake of the nation’s drug scandals.

Putin says the Foreign Ministry should try to alter the key treaty underpinning anti-doping work worldwide. He adds Russian diplomats working with UNESCO should aim to “refine” the existing International Convention against Doping in Sport so that “the rules are fair and absolutely transparent.”

The treaty is the basis for the global drug-testing system led by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has accused Russia of running a state-sponsored doping program in dozens of sports.

The Russian government says it and its athletes have unfairly been maligned.