Doping cover-up shielded Russians at London Olympics, per seized emails – Los Angeles Times

A doping cover-up dubbed the “total protection project” shielded Russian medal winners at the 2012 London Olympics, allowing them to compete when they should have been banned, according to emails seized by French prosecutors. 

The emails published Friday by French newspaper Le Monde and German broadcaster ARD suggest the scale of suspected wrongdoing involving Russian track and field and officials who were then at the IAAF, the sport’s global governing body, may have been broader than previously thought. 

In a July 2014 message, which ARD published on its website, former Russian athletics federation head Valentin Balakhnichev wrote of “cynical and cruel blackmail” by IAAF officials and threatened to expose them. Doing so would leave “a huge black spot” on the IAAF and destroy careers, Balakhnichev warned in the email. 

“We will not remain silent. It was not us who started this game. It was the IAAF project and the IAAF shall be the key victim of future scandal,” said the email published by ARD.