Russia not to accept doping accusations until proven: Kremlin

Russia will not accept any doping-related accusations until proof is provided, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

The German ARD TV channel has announced it was going to air later in the day a documentary allegedly containing proof that Russian Sports Minister Vitali Mutko had blocked the reporting of a doping offense by a top Russian football player.

"All this does not mean that we are prepared to accept some kind of unfounded allegations until we hear some concrete evidence and proof of these charges," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He added that Moscow would take the alleged cover-up as "absolute slander."

Peskov said the Russian national team was preparing to participate in the upcoming 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in spite of the risk of suspension due to the ongoing accusations of doping use.

The ARD channel has given a start to a scandal after showing in December 2014 a documentary alleging various Russian athletes of being involved in wide use of doping.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) carried out an investigation in 2015 following the film, and recommended that Russia be banned from international athletics competitions due to "widespread cheating through the use of doping substances and methods to ensure, or enhance the likelihood of victory for athletes and teams."

Russia reacted to this by a promise to reform its doping control system and to severely punish those involved in using and administering banned substances.

In March 2016, however, the ARD showed another documentary saying malpractices in the Russian anti-doping system continued.

Then in May, the New York Times published a report claiming various Russian athletes used doping during the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi under a government-sponsored scheme involving Russian special services, which Russian officials have denied. Endit