Turkey Olympic bid will survive dope storm, says Diack
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Turkey's bid to host the 2020 Olympics should survive the doping storm which has engulfed their athletes, the head of the International Association of Athletics Federations insisted on Thursday.
The Turkish authorities banned 31 athletes for two years on Monday for doping offences just days before the start of the world athletics championships in Moscow.
The 31 athletes followed women's Olympic 1500 metres champion Asli Cakir Alptekin, European women's 100 metres hurdles titleholder Nevin Yanit and three other athletes who were suspended in April.
But IAAF president Lamine Diack said that Turkey should be applauded for its efforts in unmasking the cheats ahead of the International Olympic Committee's decision on the hosts of the 2020 Games, to be made on September 6 and where Istanbul is competing against Tokyo and Madrid.
"Turkey is now cleaning the stables," Diack said at a news conference.
"They start to control their athletes and it has caused the increased number of discovered doping violations. They have installed a system of education and testing that will bring order into Turkish sport."
Diack, who was speaking ahead of the world athletics championships which get under way in the Russian capital on Saturday, cited the situation in the United States in the 1990s as an example of similar anti-doping struggles.
"We had similar problems with doping in the United States in the 1990s," he said. "I can hardly remember a month without a doping scandal at that time. But then they created the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)...they decide these problems themselves."
Meanwhile, IAAF deputy president and former pole vault great Sergei Bubka also backed Turkey's anti-doping efforts.
"This is not a problem for Turkey only," he said. "Doping is a serious threat for the entire world of sport in the 21st century.
"Turkey is currently working hard to become clean. They need to do it and WADA and the other international organisations are ready to provide all necessary support for their work.
"They're moving in the right direction and serve as a good example of the national anti-doping agency's good work."
Meanwhile, Russia's sports minister Vitaly Mutko said that Russia has beefed up security measures for the world championships and other major sports events such as the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 World Cup which the country will also stage.
"Our security services co-operate with their colleagues abroad, exchanging information to provide athletes, event officials and supporters with maximum protection," Mutko said.
"However, we will try to make these measures unobtrusive and easily done in order not to disturb them too much. Moscow is a safe city. You're welcome, enjoy the championships."
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