The US Ministry of Justice began a criminal investigation into the Doping Program in Russian sports

The US Department of Justice began an investigation against Russian officials, athletes, coaches, employees of the anti -doping system, as well as all those who could benefit from the so -called "doping program" in Russia. According to The New York Times, two sources familiar with the situation reported.

According to the publication, the case will make it possible to make charges of fraud against Russian officials under the articles “Criminal Conspiracy” and “Fraud”. The material notes that the US federal courts allow prosecutors to start cases against foreigners on the basis of even the most superficial ties in the United States, such as the use of an American bank or stopping at an American airport. In this case, the prosecutors will study the affairs of everyone who could facilitate the conduct of "unclean" competitions in the United States or used the American banking system.

Leading Russian athletes participated in a number of large sports events in the United States, for example, in the Boston Marathon and the international bobsle and skeleton championships in Lake Placide.

The material claims that the investigation began the FBI, which withdrew a number of restrictions that prevented its beginning. The prosecutor's office of the Eastern District of New York is engaged in the case, which previously investigated the case of corruption in FIFA.

Meanwhile, according to RIA Novosti, the representative of the US Federal Prosecutor’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Nellin Macintosh, said that the Ministry of Justice cannot comment on the media reports about the start of a criminal investigation.

"The policy of the Ministry of Justice is such that our offices do not comment on the investigation. Therefore, I cannot confirm or refute anything regarding your request for the investigation," Macintosh explained.

Meanwhile, the head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, did not exclude the possibility of removing the Russian national team from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro if the accusations of the existence of a whole "doping program" are confirmed.

“There should be no doubt that the IOC will hold not only certain athletes, but all their environment. Measures can be taken from life -long removal from participation in the Olympic Games and serious monetary fines until the entire national federations, as it has already happened with the All -Russian Athletics Federation,” said Bach, emphasizing that the participation of Russian athletes on Olympic Games in Rio depends on the results of the investigation of the World Anti -Doping Agency.

"If there are evidence of the existence of an organized and large -scale doping system, which affects other sports, then international associations and the IOC will have to make a difficult decision between collective responsibility and individual justice," he said.

On May 13, The New York Times published a material in which the head of the Moscow Anti -Doping Laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov accused dozens of Russian athletes of doping, including 15 gold medalists. According to him, this was part of a state program carefully planned over the years. The goal was to ensure dominance at the games of Russian athletes. The ex-director of the laboratory admitted that he developed three mixtures from the forbidden drugs that he mixed with alcohol and gave athletes. Doping was used by some leaders of the Russian Olympic team. Among them are 14 liners and two members of the bobslei team, which eventually won gold medals.

Russian anti-doping experts and special services replaced the doping tests of the Russian national team at “clean” samples taken a few months before the Olympic competitions, Rodchenkov said. By the end of the games, about 100 urine samples were replaced.

The Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko called the published information absurd. According to him, Rodchenkov is an “offended person” who “can say anything”. Mutko advised the concerned purity of Russian sports.

However, a few days later Mutko performed at The Sunday Times with a column, in which he asked not to deprive Russia of participation in the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He also apologized for Russian athletes convicted of doping, and assured that "we are ashamed of them." Prior to this, the head of WADA Craig Reedy made it clear that Russian athletes may not be allowed to participate in games.