Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has acknowledged that his country has a "problem" with performance enhancing drugs, and that he is "very sorry" Russian cheaters were not caught earlier.
The International Association of Athletics Federations suspended Russia from track and field competitions in November, after an investigation concluded that the government condoned doping.
"Serious mistakes have been made by the federation management, along with athletes and coaches who have broken anti-doping rules and neglected the principle of fair play," Mutko wrote in The Sunday Times. "Let us be clear. We are ashamed of them."