The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is calling for a ban on all Russian athletes from the Rio Olympic Games.
The recommendation is in response to a damning independent report produced by sports law professor Richard McLaren which revealed evidence of widespread state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
In addition, WADA believes Russian government officials should also be denied access to international competitions, including Rio 2016. Russia's track-and-field athletes are already banned by the IAAF.
A statement on the WADA website said: "Accordingly, WADA recommends to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to consider, under their respective charters, to decline entries, for Rio 2016, of all athletes submitted by the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and the Russian Paralympic Committee.
"Furthermore, any exceptional entry of a Russian athlete should be considered by the IOC and IPC for participation under a neutral flag and in accordance with very strict criteria.
"WADA also recommends that Russian Government officials be denied access to international competitions, including Rio 2016."
President of WADA, Sir Craig Reedie, told Sky Sports News HQ he had never encountered such a report and spoke of an "alliance" between the Russian Ministry and Moscow laboratory.
Reedie said: "I've never come across a report like this which indicated that the government of one country, in alliance with a laboratory, was manipulating results totally in favour of their own athletes and to do it over such a prolonged period and to do it for different events, so it is a challenge to the anti-doping system.
"People have said 'your system doesn't work', I think the system works reasonably well but it is not perfect if people go out of their way to cheat, so we have a number of challenges going forward in seeing how we can make sure this never happens again."
He added: "We have to make it quite clear that as an organisation, we are not empowered to enact these decisions. This is the decision of the International Olympic Committee, as far as the Games are concerned.
"I am really encouraged by the press release that has come from the president of the IOC [Thomas Bach] where he is talking about attacks on integrity and the Games and that he will respond very firmly.
"The fact that there is a bit out there on the wire, I think that is a hopeful expression by a member of my staff, but it is serious, the whole report from Richard McLaren. It indicates an alliance of the Russian Ministry and the Moscow laboratory and a process of cheating the system which is just unacceptable."
A blanket ban on all Russian athletes would mean certain people not involved in doping could be restricted from competing at the Games, but Reedie said the number of positive tests involved could run into the thousands.
"That is precisely the issue which faces and will face the International Olympic Committee," he said. "We have to realise that this investigation has thrown up the fact that for a prolonged period in the Moscow laboratory, practically every positive test that appeared was referred to the Ministry.
"We don't know as yet the total number of tests that are involved. It could literally run into thousands, so it is very difficult to identity athlete A as opposed to athlete M as opposed to athlete Y.
"We would want to identity athletes if we can because if they have broken the rules, then there should be a results management process and they should be sanctioned - but it is complicated and there is much work still to be done. However, if there is a clear statement that doping has taken place, then a blanket ban is a definite possibility."
The IOC will hold emergency talks on Tuesday to consider whether to ban all Russian athletes from Rio but Reedie believes the outcome of another hearing may come into consideration.
He said: "I think the IOC executive board will probably want to have, perhaps, a little bit of mature reflection to think through the results put in 103 pages of a report.
"We also have coming up, I think it is on Thursday, the results of a case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, when the Russian Athletics Federation is appearing against the ban which is in place by the IAAF and my guess is that the IOC might want to wait until that happens because if the highest sports court takes one decision, they may want to take it into account.
"However, there is pressure on time here. If people are to be denied entry to the Olympic Games, it is probably better that they know that sooner than later."