May 10--Facing criticism for failing to act earlier, the World Anti-Doping Agency has launched an investigation into a new round of doping allegations against Russian athletes.
WADA announced the action Tuesday, stating that it had "not yet been able to independently verify these allegations, but will now conduct further inquiries into the allegations without delay."
The suspected cheating came to light in a "60 Minutes" report that featured Vitaly Stepanov, a former Russian anti-doping agency worker who provided information that numerous Russian athletes -- including four gold medalists -- cheated at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Stepanov has said that he previously contacted WADA with the information but was turned away.
"What may have appeared as inaction reflected the fact that, until the revised World Anti-Doping Code came into effect on 1 January 2015, WADA did not have the power to conduct its own investigations," Sir Craig Reedie, WADA's president, said Tuesday. "At the time, the agency was only able to collect information and pass it on to those that did have the power to investigate -- in this case, the Russian authorities."
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Russia has been under tremendous scrutiny since last year when a WADA report alleged systemic cheating among athletes, coaches and officials. The country's track and field program has been banned from international competition and could miss the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics.
