‘The Russian flag and anthems have become symbols of murder and rape,’ says doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov

Ahead of the Paris Olympics, doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov says that athletes from Russia should be banned from the Games “forever.”

Much like Mark Twain, Russian doping whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov says that reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated. “In Russian press, it is written that I am killed, but I am alive and working hard,” Rodchenkov, who is under FBI protection, recently told CNN Sport. Given he’s in the FBI’s witness protection program, the 65-year-old confirms his identity – “Yes, I am Grigory Rodchenkov” – in his distinctive Russian accent via a call setup by his lawyer, Jim Walden. The leading character of the Oscar-winning Netflix documentary Icarus, Rodchenkov masterminded Russia’s state-sponsored doping program which benefited more than 1,000 athletes between 2011 and 2015. Rodchenkov’s claims formed the basis of the 2016 McLaren Report, which concluded that the Russian state conspired with athletes and sporting officials to undertake a doping program that was unprecedented in its scale and ambition in a “systematic and centralized cover-up.” Rodchenkov also said that he was ordered to conceal the drug use of Sochi 2014 medal winners. But everything changed in 2015 for the whistleblower when he said that he fled Russia for the US after receiving a warning that his life was in danger.