'Icarus': How an amateur cyclist stumbled into the secret world of Russian doping

Marjorie McAfee, Jenna Millma, Lauren Effron | August 9, 2017 | ABC News

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi was a grand spectacle of Russian glory. The host country took home an impressive 13 gold medals, which spiked national pride in Russia and boosted President Vladimir Putin’s stature.

But after the pomp and pageantry faded, there were explosive accusations claiming Russia had cheated and that dozens of Russian Olympic athletes, including 15 of their 33 medal winners, had participated in a state-run doping program.

At the center of the firestorm was Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, one of Russia’s top anti-doping scientists, whose story is chronicled in the new Netflix documentary “Icarus.”

“There was never any anti-doping in Russia, ever,” “Icarus” filmmaker Bryan Fogel told ABC News “Nightline” co-anchor Dan Harris. “It was all just a facade.”