Russians ponder legal action over athletics doping claims

Russia's athletics federation said Saturday they were considering legal action following "slanderous allegations" made on German television of massive drug use in the country's sport.
"The all-Russian track and field athletics federation considers the film which was shown at ARD channel to be a provocation aimed at undermining Russian sport," said a statement signed by the country's athletics chief Valentin Balakhnichev.
It added: "The federation is currently studying all options provided by Russian and German laws to defend our rights including taking appropriate legal action against the slanderous allegations made against us."
The 60-minute documentary "Secret Doping Dossier: How Russia produces its Winners" was aired by state broadcaster ARD on Wednesday and pointed the finger at Russian Athletics Federation president and IAAF treasurer Balakhnichev amongst others.
The documentary featured hard-hitting accusations by 800m runner Yulia Stepanova, who is banned until January for a doping violation, and her husband Vitaly Stepanov, who worked for RUSADA between 2008 and 2011.
Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA announced Friday their decision to open an investigation.
Meanwhile, World Anti-Doping Agency WADA also promised to "ensure that all matters raised are fully investigated".
The International Athletics Federation (IAAF) released a statement, saying: "An investigation by the IAAF Ethics Commission is already ongoing with respect to some of the allegations made in the documentary."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) added they had been in contact with the IAAF and were ready to act if necessary.
Source: AFP