Russia to admit some WADA charges, athletics chief says
Last Updated: 12/11/15 6:55pm
The acting head of the Russian athletics federation says it will own up to some of the doping offences alleged by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
A WADA-commissioned report this week accused Russia of running a state-sponsored doping programme and recommended the country's athletes are suspended from international competition.
The International Association of Athletics Federations has given Russia until Friday to respond officially to the report, but in the meantime Vadim Zelichenok has given an indication of what that response might be.
He said: "We admit some things, we argue with some things, some are already fixed, it's a variety. It's not for the press."
The International Olympic Committee has played down the possibility of a ban covering next year's Rio de Janeiro Games, and Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko has ruled out a boycott.
He said: "Russia is against political interference in sport. Understand that Russia is a dependable partner of the international Olympic movement."
The country's president Vladimir Putin has called for an "open" response to the WADA allegations, and Mutko on Thursday promised regular dialogue with the press.
"Practically every day, at the end of the day, we release some kind of information message about the steps we're taking and we will continue to do that," he said.
"We're prepared to inform international society about the steps we're taking, the investigation, the decisions."
