EVIDENCE of “systematic” doping has been unearthed in Russian swimming, a report in British newspaper The Times claimed Wednesday.

    Russian athletes have been banned from international competition after a World Anti-doping Agency report uncovered evidence of state-sponsored doping and The Times said the situation in Russian swimming was similar.

    It claimed that Sergei Portugalov, the doctor said to be the mastermind behind doping in Russian athletics, had pushed swimmers on Russia’s national team to take performance-enhancing drugs.

    The paper, which carried out its own investigation, cited a witness who testified that “pills and medicines” were available during one pool competition in Moscow.

    “The federation developed an anti-doping program aimed at preventing doping in sport that has already been working for a few years. Information about concealed doping cases is not true,” the Russian Swimming Federation said.

    (SD-Agencies)