Putin slams Russia doping ban as 'politically motivated'

Paris: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday slammed a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency to ban Russia for four years from major global sporting events over doping violations as a “politically motivated” ruling that “contradicted” the Olympic Charter.

“There is nothing to reproach the Russian Olympic Committee for and if there is no reproach towards this committee, the country should take part in competitions under its own flag,” Putin said after a summit in Paris.