Kremlin Says Claims Of State-Sponsored Doping In Russian Athletics Are "Groundless"

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.

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A spokesman for Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday described accusations in a sensational report released by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that found Russian athletes had engaged in widespread, state-approved doping as "groundless."

"Whenever any charges are made, there must be some evidence they rely on," Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said. "As long as there has been no proof, it is hard to react to any accusations, which look rather groundless."

When asked the Kremlin's opinion on why WADA had made charges against Russian sports stars, Peskov said: "It’s none of our business to ponder over the causes of such scandals," Russia's TASS Agency reported.

Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko had earlier told Russian TV that the issues brought up by the WADA report surrounding a Moscow anti-doping laboratory were either correctible, or lacking in evidence.

WADA suspended its accreditation for the lab — where an alleged mass destruction of doping samples took place — on Tuesday, according to AP.

Mutko's ministry said Tuesday that Russia was "fully committed to the fight against doping in sport" and would work more closely with WADA, according to the BBC.

The ministry said it was "fully aware of the problems" in the lab, but added that the state did "not interfere with Rusada [the country's anti-doping agency] and anti-doping laboratory work."

Monday's 355-page report detailed “widespread cheating through the use of doping substances" among Russian athletes, and said that “it would be naive in the extreme” to assume that the state had not been involved or tacitly approved of the cheating.

LINK: Read the full report

LINK: Russian Athletes Should Be Suspended Due To “Widespread” Cheating, Says Anti-Doping Agency

LINK: Pressure Grows On International Athletics President Over Anti-Doping Report