Independent commission needs to fix Russia’s doping problem: Putin

MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin on Friday called for the creation of an independent commission with foreign experts to address problems with Russia’s anti-doping system.

Putin suggested that the commission be chaired by Vitaly Smirnov, a former vice-president of the International Olympic Committee and a current honorary member of the IOC.

Putin, addressing a government meeting, described Smirnov, an IOC member from 1971 to 2015, as “a person with a flawless reputation”.

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Christian Lowe)