BBC Radio 4 LW

Bloodsport Podcast v2

Bloodsport

Bloodsport: 7. Dead Russians

7. Dead Russians

BBC Radio 4 - Bloodsport, 7. Dead Russians

Doping mastermind Grigory Rodchenkov flees Russia and goes public with his claims.

The story of Russian doping at the 2012 and 2014 Olympics. Doping mastermind Grigory Rodchenkov flees Russia and goes public with his claims.

Bloodsport is the story of the systematic doping of the 2012 and 2014 Olympics by the Russian state. It is the single most important sports story of our time and it reads like a Cold War thriller. The Evening Standard's sports correspondent Matt Majendie tells the whole story from 2012 till now.

Episode seven hears how doping mastermind, Grigory Rodchenkov,  went public about Russian cheating at the London and Sochi Olympics - and swapped life in Russian for a US witness protection program. 

For the first time, you’ll hear the whole story from 2012 to 2020 told by the people who were there. You’ll hear from Paula Radcliffe and Sebastian Coe on London 2012, you’ll meet the expert German investigator who cracked the case wide open and from athletes who doped. We’ve got access to the elite Swiss lab racing to finish testing London 2012 samples and we’ve spoken to the guy who masterminded doping control at the London games.

You’ll also hear first-hand testimony from people who blew the whistle inside Russia (at the risk of their own lives) and from seasoned journalists who watched open-mouthed as the whole thing unfolded. And we’ll take you into the ongoing arms race between doper and tester, to see how the science of testing plays out in the analysis of blood and urine samples. Despite it being eight years ago, the story isn’t over. There are unfinished corruption trials in French Courts and ongoing allegations of flagrant Russian cheating (even as the Russian government denies all the evidence). Against all this is the soon-to-be pressing question of whether Russia will participate in the now postponed Tokyo Olympics. The credibility of the Olympic movement might hang on the decision. The clock is ticking.

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Documentaries

Factual

Sport: Olympics

The story of the systematic doping of the 2012 and 2014 Olympics by the Russian state.

The story of the systematic doping of the 2012 and 2014 Olympics by the Russian state set against the ongoing attempts to catch the cheats.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Bloodsport

7. Dead Russians

Genres

Series

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4