Russia doping scandal: '99% of athletes guilty of using banned substances'

As many as 99% of Russian athletes are guilty of using performance enhancing drugs as part of a widespread doping cover-up, according to a German documentary.

The explosive claim that Russia is funding an "East German-style" doping programme was shown on German TV network MDR on 3 December.

The documentary implies a "majority" of Russians selected for the Summer and Winter Olympic games were guilty of doping and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) were involved in covering it up.

The allegations were dismissed as a "pack of lies" by Russia's Athletics Federation (RAF) president Valentin Balakhnichev.

During the documentary, disgraced former discus thrower Yevgeniya Pecherina claimed that "most, the majority, 99%" of Russian athletes are known to taken banned substances.

Pecherina, who is currently serving a 10-year doping ban, added: "And you can get absolutely everything. Everything the athlete wants."

The majority of the claims come from former Russian Anti-Doping Agency official Vitaly Stepanov and his wife Yulia, a former 800m runner who was also banned for doping.

Stepanov said in the documentary how several Russian sport representatives would pay doping control officers "extra cash" to keep quiet about positive tests. He also accused the head of the Russia's doping test laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, of falsifying tests and selling banned substances.

The documentary also features a recording reportedly showing 800m runner Mariya Savinova, who won gold at the 2012 Olympics in London, admitting to using the banned steroid oxandrolone.

During the footage filmed on a mobile phone in August, Savinova can be heard saying: "How else are we meant to do it?

"Luckily, my coach works with [Russian coach Alexey] Melnikov, and he helps to cover up the tests. They let him swap the dates for the controls. And oxandrolone leaves my body again very quickly. It takes less than 20 days."

The documentary also claims Liliya Shobukhova, who won the London Marathon race in 2010, paid the Russian athletics federation €450,000 euros (£353,000) ($556,000) to cover up a positive doping case and force her way into the 2012 Olympic team.

World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has said it will "fully investigate" the claim, adding it has already received evidence supporting the type of allegations "exposed in the documentary".

A spokesperson added: "All of that information has been passed to the appropriate independent body within the IAAF. We will await the outcome of that independent body's deliberations.

"In so far as the particular allegations against Russian authorities and others are concerned, these will all be carefully scrutinised and if action is warranted, Wada will take any necessary and appropriate steps."

RAF president Balakhnichev said: "I can say that [the claims] are a pack of lies and it is an unfair account. I will be able to give a more accurate and fuller commentary later in the day once we have studied the situation further.

"In so far as the particular allegations against Russian authorities and others are concerned, these will all be carefully scrutinised and if action is warranted, Wada will take any necessary and appropriate steps."

Russia topped the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics medal table, with none of their athletes testing positive for banned substances. They currently have 67 athletes who are serving bans for doping offences.