A report into systematic doping by an independent commission led by the superbly named Dick Pound is set to be released at 2PM today and it looks like the outcome of this is going to be pretty explosive, with claims that it makes FIFA's corruption scandal look tame. Russia are the main targets of this report, and they could be facing a ban from world athletics as a result of the publication.
A German documentary released last year claimed that '99%' of Russian athletes were guilty of doping whilst 2010 London Marathon winner Liliya Shobukhova admitted paying the Russian Athletics Federation £350k to cover a positive doping test in the same programme, leading to her titles being stripped and her results expunged.
A former Russian Anti-Doping Agency employee also alleged that 'leading Russian athletics officials supplied banned substances in exchange for 5% of an athlete's earnings and colluded with doping control officers to hush up and falsify tests'.
The Sunday Times obtained results of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes between 2001 and 2012 and reportedly found that:
A third of medals (146, including 55 golds) in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships between 2001 and 2012 were won by athletes who have recorded suspicious tests. It is claimed none of these athletes have been stripped of their medals.
More than 800 athletes - one in seven of those named in the files - have recorded blood tests described by one of the experts as "highly suggestive of doping or at the very least abnormal".
A top UK athlete is among seven Britons with suspicious blood scores.
British athletes - including Olympic champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill - have lost out in major events to competitors who were under suspicion.
Ten medals at London 2012 were won by athletes who have dubious test results.
In some finals, every athlete in the three medal positions had recorded a suspicious blood test.
Russia emerges as "the blood testing epicentre of the world" with more than 80% of the country's medals won by suspicious athletes, while Kenya had 18 medals won by suspicious athletes.
Stars such as Britain's Mo Farah and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt recorded no abnormal results.
Athletes are increasingly using blood transfusions and EPO micro-doses to boost the red cell count.
I wonder what we are going to find out from this
A German documentary released last year claimed that '99%' of Russian athletes were guilty of doping whilst 2010 London Marathon winner Liliya Shobukhova admitted paying the Russian Athletics Federation £350k to cover a positive doping test in the same programme, leading to her titles being stripped and her results expunged.
A former Russian Anti-Doping Agency employee also alleged that 'leading Russian athletics officials supplied banned substances in exchange for 5% of an athlete's earnings and colluded with doping control officers to hush up and falsify tests'.
The Sunday Times obtained results of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes between 2001 and 2012 and reportedly found that:
A third of medals (146, including 55 golds) in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships between 2001 and 2012 were won by athletes who have recorded suspicious tests. It is claimed none of these athletes have been stripped of their medals.
More than 800 athletes - one in seven of those named in the files - have recorded blood tests described by one of the experts as "highly suggestive of doping or at the very least abnormal".
A top UK athlete is among seven Britons with suspicious blood scores.
British athletes - including Olympic champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill - have lost out in major events to competitors who were under suspicion.
Ten medals at London 2012 were won by athletes who have dubious test results.
In some finals, every athlete in the three medal positions had recorded a suspicious blood test.
Russia emerges as "the blood testing epicentre of the world" with more than 80% of the country's medals won by suspicious athletes, while Kenya had 18 medals won by suspicious athletes.
Stars such as Britain's Mo Farah and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt recorded no abnormal results.
Athletes are increasingly using blood transfusions and EPO micro-doses to boost the red cell count.
I wonder what we are going to find out from this