More than 1,000 Russian athletes in ‘institutionalised’ doping

More than 1,000 Russian athletes in about 30 sports took part in an “institutional conspiracy” to use banned drugs at the Sochi and London Olympics and other global events, doping investigator Richard Mclaren said on Friday.

International sport had been “hijacked” by the Russians, according to the the Canadian lawyer who has previously accused Russia of “state-sponsored” cheating.

He said in his new report for the World Anti-Doping Agency that he had confirmed the switching of samples at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 and that salt and coffee was used to manipulate samples when checked by international experts.

More than 1,000 athletes in the summer and winter Olympics and Paralympics “can be identified as being involved in or benefiting from manipulations to conceal positive testing,” the report said.