The new head of Russia's anti-doping commission claimed on Thursday (28th July) that there has never been state support for doping, in direct contrast to the findings detailed by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vitaly Smirnov, Head of Russian anti-doping commission:

"It's a civic independent commission, and we rule out any attempts of interference by the state or other structures. In Russia, there is not and never has been any state support for doping."

SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vitaly Smirnov, Head of Russian anti-doping commission:

"We are also open for cooperation and any recommendation from the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in regards to including other candidates in the commission. We will welcome the presence of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and other international sports organisations in this commission."