The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have backed former Moscow Laboratory director Grigory Rodchenkov as a “truthful witness” in their first reasoned decision published following the Sochi 2014 doping scandal.
The case involves cross-country skier Alexander Legkov, one of the first Russian athletes to be sanctioned.
Legkov was stripped of his 50 kilometres Olympic gold medal he won at Sochi 2014 earlier this month.
He and his Russian team-mates have also been stripped of their men’s 4x10km relay silver medal.
The IOC Disciplinary Commission have based the decision using the “balance of probability” under civil law, following confirmation from the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
The decision to strip Legkov of his medals has been based on “conclusive multiple T marks” on his two sample bottles, deemed to have constituted direct evidence the skier was implicated in the doping scheme.
Evidence provided by Rodchenkov was also used in the case, leading to the Commission being “comfortably satisfied” Legkov was a beneficiary of a cover-up scheme.
Publication of the evidence will put further pressure on IOC President Thomas Bach to stop Russia competing under its own flag at next year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The Commission, chaired by IOC Executive Board member and Swiss lawyer Denis Oswald, offered their full backing to Rodchenkov being a credible witness.
They claimed evidence on file was found to have corroborated his statements.
Rodchenkov’s explanations over a clean urine bank were found to have been supported by additional evidence, while his statements given in connection with athletes whose samples were swapped but not included on the “Duchess List” – a list of protected Russian athletes – were also correct.
It was determined that when no clean urine bank could be prepared, urine had to come from other sources.
