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Vladimir Putin slams Russian doping report, calling it political interference

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday questioned the legitimacy of an independent report alleging state-dictated protection of doped athletes in his country that led to calls for Russian competitors to be banned from the Rio Olympics.

MORE: High-profile athletes turn down Rio Olympics

The World Anti-Doping Agency appointed Richard McLaren to conduct an independent investigation into allegations made by Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the WADA-accredited laboratory in Moscow.

On Monday, McLaren presented a report which found that Russia's Ministry of Sport "directed, controlled and oversaw the manipulation of athletes' analytical results or sample swapping".