"These accusations <…> must be taken very seriously, because there could be various consequences. But I think there is nothing left to add. If we successfully perform in Rio, it will be necessary to discredit [our] results in Rio. Perhaps another article [alleging Russian athletes use doping] will be released," Mutko told.
Mutko said that an investigation into Rodchenkov’s claims was needed.
"If there were some manipulations, who carried them out? Was it him or someone else? Let these people be punished, including criminal liability," the minister said.
During the last few years, Russian athletes were involved in a number of doping-related incidents.
In December 2014, Germany’s ARD television broadcaster released the film titled "The Doping Secret: How Russia Creates Champions" on alleged doping abuse and corruption in Russian sports. Following the release of the film, WADA launched an investigation into the allegations of doping abuse in Russian sports.
In November 2015, WADA presented a report, accusing Russia of numerous breaches of global anti-doping regulations and recommended the country be banned from international athletics competitions, which then led to the All-Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) suspension from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Sputnik news agency informed.
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