Sergei Portugalov is the former head of the Russian Athletics Federation's Medical Commission ©RUSAF

Sergei Portugalov, the former head of the Russian Athletics Federation's (RUSAF) Medical Commission, has today been banned for life for his role in providing illicit substances to the country's athletes.

The decision was taken at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which acted as a first instance decision maker due to RUSAF's current suspension.

In a statement, CAS cited "clear evidence" that he violated International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) doping rules governing possession and trafficking of prohibited substances.

"As a consequence, a lifetime period of ineligibility, beginning on 10 March 2017, has been imposed on Dr Portugalov," it added.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended in a 2015 report that Portugalov take no part in any state sports programme after he was found to have supplied banned performance-enhancing drugs to athletes and coaches, administered doping programmes and "even injected athletes himself".

According to WADA, Portugalov was "very active in the conspiracy to cover up athletes' positive tests in exchange for a percentage of their winnings".

Russia's track and field athletes have been banned from international competition since 2015 ©Getty Images
Russia's track and field athletes have been banned from international competition since 2015 ©Getty Images

Earlier this year, an IAAF Taskforce recommended Russia's track and field athletes, banned from international competition in 2015, should not return until November, meaning the country will miss the World Championships in London in August.

Among previous Verification Criteria for the reinstatement of Russia was a requirement that RUSAF "must sever any ties it has" with Portugalov.

It is noted that RUSAF says Portugalov "is not and has never been chairman of its Medical Commission and that its Medical Commission has not existed for at least the past four years". 

The Taskforce demanded from RUSAF a list of all those who have been supplied or counselled by Portugalov.

WADA's Annual Symposium is being held here today in the Olympic capital, where Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov has said the aim of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is to regain provisional compliance with WADA by May, with the view to being fully re-instated by November.

RUSADA was heavily criticised in a WADA Independent Commission report in November 2015, when explosive allegations of state-supported doping within the country's athletics programme were revealed.

It led to the body being declared "non-compliant" by WADA following a Foundation Board meeting in Colorado Springs.