Kremlin - Allegations of Russian doping use are 'slander by a turncoat'

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Allegations by a former head of Russia's drug testing laboratory that dozens of Russian athletes used doping when they competed at the 2014 Sochi Olympics are "slander by a turncoat" and are absolutely groundless, the Kremlin said on Friday.

(Reuters)

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists the Kremlin supports comments by Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko that the allegations by Grigory Rodchenkov, the former laboratory head, are "nonsense".

Asked about prospects of Russian track-and-field athletes competing at the Summer Olympics in Rio, he said: "We hope everything will be fine."

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Christian Lowe)