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Ukraine's anti-doping center backs call to ban Russia from 2018 Winter Olympics

The Ukrainian National Anti-Doping Center has joined the requirements of a number of national anti-doping organizations to ban Russia from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics, the center's press service has reported.

On September 14, Denver, the United States, hosted a special meeting of 17 heads of national anti-doping organizations under the auspices of the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations (iNADO) at which the issues of Russia's accountability for one of the biggest doping scandals in sports history were discussed.

"NADO leaders called on the IOC to ban the Russian Olympic Committee from participation in the 2018 Winter Games for proven corruption of the Sochi Olympic Games and continuing failure in its obligations to clean sport," reads the report.

A statement made following the meeting notes that "a country's sport leaders and organizations should not be given credentials to the Olympics when they intentionally violate the rules and rob clean athletes."

NADO leaders reaffirmed their commitment to provide consistent criteria for individual Russian athletes to compete, as neutrals and independent of the Russian Olympic Committee, for those who have been subject to robust anti-doping protocols, consistent with precedent established by the IAAF.

Those in attendance and supporting the outcomes included anti-doping leaders from around the world, including Austria, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations.

The Ukrainian National Anti-Doping Center joins the call of its colleagues for the need to hold Russia accountable, including by banning Russian sports federations from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics. The letter has been officially sent to the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations.

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