The International Olympic Committee says it trusts athletics governing body the IAAF and its president Sebastian Coe to act on the explosive conclusions of a report into doping and corruption in Russia.
The IOC described Monday’s report from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s independent commission as “deeply shocking and very saddening for the world of sport”.
“The IOC trusts that the new leadership of the IAAF with its President Sebastian Coe will draw all the necessary conclusions and will take all the necessary measures,” the IOC statement read.
“In this context the IOC welcomes the clear commitment expressed by IAAF to do “whatever it takes to protect the clean athletes and rebuild trust in our sport”.
The WADA report called for Russian athletes to be banned from all competition, including the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
It outlined evidence of of systematic cheating, with the awareness and consent of the authorities in Moscow, and noted that drug tests for athletes were conducted at a Russian laboratory which lacked total credibility.