Australia backs Russian Olympic ban over doping

Australia’s national Olympic committee Tuesday said it would support banning Russian athletes from next year's Summer Games after theWorld Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) outlined evidence of systematic doping.

Athletics Australia also called on the sport’s world governing body, theIAAF, and its president Sebastian Coe to act on the damning WADAreport.

"We would very much support Russian track and field athletes not being allowed to compete in Rio if their federation is not code-compliant to WADA," the 2016 Australian Olympic team's chef demissionKitty Chiller told reporters in Sydney.

"If Russia is not in Rio, I think the reputation of athletics will be enhanced because the public will know every athlete competing is clean and is competing in the true spirit of the Olympic Games."

Athletics Australia chief Phil Jones added in a statement that "circumstances like those alleged in this report must not be allowed to continue".

The WADA report outlined evidence of systematic cheating carried out with the consent of the government in Moscow, noting that drug tests for athletes were conducted at a Russian lab which lacked credibility. 

The panel's findings called for the IAAF to suspend Russia's athletics body (ARAF) and declare it "non-compliant" with globally agreed doping regulations. 

Jones urged the IAAF Council to consider whether the Russian Athletics Federation was an appropriate host for the 2016 world junior championships and world race walking team championships.

Both Australian organisations also said that Jared Tallent, silver medallist in the 2012 London Olympics' 50km walk behind Russia'sSergey Kirdyapkin, should be retrospectively awarded the gold.

Kirdyapkin, who won his gold in a record time, was suspended for abnormalities in his biological passport in January, with the ban backdated to October 15, 2012.

Photo Caption: (FILES) Russia's gold medallist Mariya Savinova (L) celebrates with Russia's bronze medallist Ekaterina Poistogova (R) and Russian coach Vladimir Kazarin at the end of the women's 800m final at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Australia's national Olympic committee on November 10, 2015 said it would support banning Russian athletes from next year's Summer Games after the World Anti-Doping Agency outlined evidence of systematic doping.