LONDON (AP) — The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency has told Russia's sports minister that "much more still needs to be accomplished" to fix the country's doping problems.
WADA President Craig Reedie responded to a letter from Russian minister Vitaly Mutko, who said his ministry carried out a "significant amount of work" to combat doping and pledged further cooperation with the global agency.
WADA spokesman Ben Nichols says Mutko's letter acknowledged "the deep-rooted doping problems the country has encountered, and the difficulty with eradicating such a doping culture in a short space of time."
He says Reedie responded in a letter to Mutko, "recognizing some of the steps that have been taken towards ensuring an effective anti-doping system in Russia, but stating that much more still needs to be accomplished.