Russian doping revelations not surprising: Canadian ski coach

A report that 14 Russian cross-country skiers at the Sochi Olympics were doping comes as no surprise to the man who coached Canada's team at the last Winter Games.

• 15 Russian medallists at Sochi Olympics were part of doping program: report

Justin Wadsworth, who ran Canada's cross-country ski program for most of the past decade, calls the revelations in the New York Times "vindication" for the sport.

"This is the kind of news as the coach of the national team I've been waiting for," said Wadsworth, who recently stepped down as head coach in March. "We as a team knew they were most likely doping due to their performances."

Canada was shut out of the medals in cross-country skiing at the Sochi Games whilethe host nation won five medalsincluding a sweep of the podium in the men's 50-kilometre race.

Wadsworthsaid it seemed fishy at the time and everyone was talking about it after the race.

"When I saw that in the 50K at the Olympics, I was just shaking my head."

He said the way the Russians would come out of nowhere to win medals at world championships and Olympicswas an indication that something nefarious was going on.

Wadsworth said it doesn't soften the blow of Canada finishing out of the medals in Sochi, chalking up the team's poor showing to mistakes in waxing. But he said he could see the frustrationin the team members when they know they're competing against dopers.

"We know this has been going on in our sport," said Wadsworth, who lives in Canmore, Alta.

Wadsworth's wife, Beckie Scott, was famously awarded a gold medal years after the 2002Salt Lake CityOlympics when it was revealed a drug cheat finished ahead of her.

Scott now chairs the World Anti-Doping Agencyathletes committee and called for the IAAF and WADA to continue sanctions against Russia's beleaguered track and field team in a speech to anti-doping leaders on Thursday.

The latest news seems to confirmthat some results inSochi were tainted and that clean Canadian athleteswere unfairly getting left behind."There's no question when you compete against athletes who dope, you're at a disadvantage," Scott told CBC Sports by phone.

More Canadian reactions

"I totally, fully support Beckie Scott's statements and whatshe's doing on behalf of clean athletes in the world,"Canadianhockey player Hayley Wickenheiser told The Canadian Press.

What concernedWickenheiser mostwas the Times assertion thatRussia's "entire women's hockey team was dopingthroughout theGames."

The Russian women finished sixth in the tournament. Two membersof that team were previously Wickenheiser'steammates on theUniversity of Calgary Dinos.

"To see women's hockey implicated is a bit surprising becausehockey is not a sport typically with a history of doping initsculture," Wickenheiser said. "That was quite alarming for me toread that."

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sportalso issued a statement Thursday renewing its call for a ban on the Russian track and field team in Rio. "The update this week by WADA confirms that the shortcomings continue," said Paul Melia, president and CEO of the centre.

"The clean athletes of the world are watching to see if [the IAAF]will exercise real leadership and do the right thing for cleansport."

Wadsworth believes the latest revelations about Russia's winter athletes are further evidence of a systematic doping program in acountry that was desperate to win medals ahead of major events.

But he is optimistic now that the tests seem to be catching up with the cheaters.

"It's moving in the right direction to clean up the sport," said Wadsworth.