Vitaly Mutko has claimed it was unsportsmanlike of David Kenworthy to suggest Russia should be banned from Pyeongchang 2018 ©Getty Images

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has claimed it was "unsportsmanlike" for UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) chairman David Kenworthy to suggest the country should be suspended from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Kenworthy made the assertion during an interview with the BBC, where he also claimed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should have banned Russia from last year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Russia avoided a blanket suspension from the Games in the Brazilian city in response to the McLaren Report's evidence of Government-coordinated doping.

The IOC instead rubber-stamped Russian eligibility decisions made by individual International Federations, resisting a call from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to issue a blanket ban.

The International Paralympic Committee, however, decided to ban Russian athletes from competing at the Paralympic Games.

"Yes, I think they should [be banned]," said Kenworthy when asked about Russia's participation at Pyeongchang 2018.

"I think they should have been banned from the Olympics in the summer.

"The International Paralympic Committee in my view got it right - they banned Russia.

"I think the IOC made a complete muck-up of it.

"There was too much politicking going on, that was the problem.

"We're still getting denials of any wrongdoing and strange statements about whether it was state-sponsored or not.

"What we now need to do is get Russia back in the fold, and that is taking some considerable time and effort."

Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren found that around 1,000 Russians had doping samples manipulated and tampered with between 2011 and 2015 at events, including the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi ©Getty Images
Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren found that around 1,000 Russians had doping samples manipulated and tampered with between 2011 and 2015 at events, including the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi ©Getty Images

Kenworthy’s stance has been criticised by Mutko, Russia's former Sports Minister who believes the Briton should have been more supportive of the country.

He referenced the cooperation agreement signed by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), UKAD and WADA, which began last January.

UKAD agreed to a request to help oversee Russia's drug testing programme following the suspension of RUSADA.

"It is so unsportsmanlike, we are paying big money for their work," Mutko told the official Russian news agency TASS.

"They have been working with us for a year already.

"He should have supported us instead."

When contacted by insidethegames, a UKAD spokeswoman said “Under the oversight of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), UKAD continues to deliver a testing programme for Russian athletes during RUSADA’s period of non-compliance. 

"We are committed to continuing this important work, as it is essential that an effective testing programme is in place during this time, in order to protect clean athletes and clean sport around the world."

Around 1,000 Russians had doping samples manipulated and tampered with between 2011 and 2015 at events including the Sochi 2014 Winter and Paralympic Games, Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren found.

Firm evidence to support many of the McLaren Report's earlier findings were only published in December.

Two Swiss-run IOC Commissions chaired by Denis Oswald and former Swiss Confederation President, Samuel Schmid, are currently analysing the evidence.

A decision will then be made on how to sanction Russia's medal-topping performances at Sochi 2014 as well as how to limit their participation at Pyeongchang 2018.