VTB to sue authors of WADA report on doping in Russian athletics - chairman
DAVOS. Jan 22 (Interfax) - VTB plans to file lawsuits against the members of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission who recently issued a report, which, in particular, hints at the bank's involvement in the doping violations in Russian athletics, VTB Chairman Andrei Kostin said on the Rossiya-24 (VGTRK) television channel.
WADA had published the second part of a report by its independent commission investigating doping allegations in Russian athletics last week. The report mentions the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) cooperation with VTB, which has been its sponsor for years.
In particular, WADA suggested in its report that the awarding of TV rights to the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow and VTB's selection as the commercial partner should be assessed in legal terms. The report says the TV rights were originally estimated at $6 million but, after IAAF officials met with Valentin Balakhnichev, then president of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF), the price tag went up as high as $25 million. The money was provided by VTB, and the price grew likely in exchange for covering up doping violations by Russian athletes, the report says.
"This is a blatant lie: we had sponsorship contacts with IAAF for the past nine years, from 2007 to 2015. The yearly payments were about $6 million to $7 million. In exchange we had a clearly defined sponsor kit. The $25 million is a sum paid in four or five years, but not in one year, and this has never had anything to do with discussing doping problems," Kostin said.
"I've instructed our lawyers, and we are now drawing up lawsuits against all ten 'passengers' who signed this commission's report. We will file lawsuits, and we will litigate with them. We are thinking now in what jurisdiction this has to be done, because there are citizens of the U.S., Canada, Europe among them, but we'll have them nervous and make them answer for their words in court. Because you can't smear the name of Russia, Russian leaders or Russian companies just like that, even by way of hinting. We will retaliate, and we will do it by filing lawsuits," he added.
