IT’S been a good few weeks since

a new doping story has broken

so we must be due a fresh one, mustn’t we? Well, don’t worry,

a new scandal is almost certain

to break today when the second instalment of Richard McLaren’s report is released.

The McLaren report was commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after allegations by the former chief of Russia’s national anti-doping lab, Grigory Rodchenkov, had given details of his involvement in doping Russian athletes ahead of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Rodchenkov alleged that the Russian secret service had been involved in opening and resealing what had previously been thought to be tamper-proof bottles and replacing “dirty” urine with clean samples.

Part one of the McLaren report, which was delivered in July of this year, just a few days before the Opening Ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games, alleged that doped Russian athletes were protected by a state-dictated system.

It confirmed that bottles containing urine samples from Russian athletes had scratch marks around the neck and lids, which was a clear sign of manipulation. McLaren also confirmed Rodchenkov’s claims that sample bottles had been switched through a mousehole in the Sochi lab.

In the aftermath of part one of the McLaren report, numerous Russian athletes, most notably the entire Russian track-and-field team bar one long-jumper and the entire Russian Paralympic contingent, were banned from competing at the Rio Olympics and Paralympics.

When part two of the McLaren report is unveiled in London today, it is expected to contain equally shocking revelations. The best that Russia can hope for is that it does no further damage to the country’s already severely tarnished reputation; the worst is that is decimates it.

However, today’s report is almost irrelevant when it comes to the question of what to do in order to move forward. The level of trust in Russian athletes and Russian officials from their fellow athletes, as well as the general public, is as low as it can get and it is hard to see how further damning evidence can make the situation any worse.

So, what happens in 2017 and beyond? If Russia is to regain even a grain of trust, the country’s officials must be seen to be doing everything they can to weed out the individuals who were allowing this nefarious behaviour to go on. This is not happening. Even before McLaren’s report is released today, Russian officials are on the attack.

Earlier this week, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Russian Football Union, Vitaly Mutko, said he expects today’s report to be

“yet another attack on Russian sport”, before adding: “We don’t have an opportunity to protest, they will name and shame to the whole world, and then we will begin to figure it out.

But they needed to prove this. Therefore it’s nothing, it’s fine.”

On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it had extended until further notice its sanctions against Russia. McLaren’s report today is unlikely to help Russia get back in the IOC’s good books. But what is most concerning moving forward is that Russian officials still do not believe that they have a serious problem.

Last month, Russia’s Olympic Committee President, Alexander Zhukov, said that his country has cleaned up its doping problem and should be allowed to return to all international competitions.

Legislation has been put forward in Russia that would see coaches who force athletes to cheat jailed, as well as prison terms for any sports officials involved in doping. Yes, this is a step forward but it is still not enough to regain the trust of athletes or the public.

A feeling remains that the will to ostracise Russia unless it complies entirely and as stringently as countries like the UK and the USA with anti-doping regulations is still not there.

A major issue is that individual sporting federations are still awarding the hosting rights of major events to Russia; as early as February of next year, Russia is due to host the World Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships which the American team has said it is considering boycotting, as has Britain’s reigning skeleton Olympic champion, Lizzy Yarnold.

Earlier this week, American athletes from a variety of sports released a petition which voiced their frustration about what they see as the inaction surrounding these doping issues.

While it does not look great for any sport to have their best athletes shouting from the rooftops about how their sport is riddled with dopers, it is what needs to happen.

Past events have proven that the

anti-doping authorities will not take severe action unless they are forced into it – and athletes speaking out and then boycotting major competitions is likely to be the only thing to force them into serious action.

This may damage sport in the short-term, but irrespective of what McLaren’s report reveals today, athletes are the only ones who have the power to ensure real change happens.