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Russian Sports Minister Promoted To New Deputy-Prime-Ministerial Post


Vitaly Mutko has been implicated in allegations of an illegal, state-sanctioned doping program that led to the International Olympic Committee's decision to ban many Russian athletes from competing in the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.
Vitaly Mutko has been implicated in allegations of an illegal, state-sanctioned doping program that led to the International Olympic Committee's decision to ban many Russian athletes from competing in the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

Russia's controversial Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has been promoted to a newly created deputy prime minister's post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 19 accepted Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's proposal to appoint Mutko as a deputy prime minister responsible for "sports, tourism, and youth policies."

Deputy Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov was promoted on October 19 to replace Mutko as sports minister.

Putin proposed the establishment of the new deputy-prime-ministerial post on October 11.

Mutko, who served as sports minister since 2008, has been implicated in allegations of an illegal, state-sanctioned doping program that led to the International Olympic Committee's decision to ban many Russian athletes from competing in the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

Russia's entire national team also was banned from participating in the Rio Paralympics in September as a result of the doping scandal.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

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