The United States Department of Justice has opened an investigation into state-sponsored doping by dozens of Russia’s top athletes, two people familiar with the case said. The inquiry escalates what has been a roiling sports controversy into a federal criminal case involving foreign officials.

两名知情人士透露，美国司法部正在针对俄罗斯几十位顶级运动员在政府支持下服用兴奋剂一事展开调查。这项调查将此事从一桩棘手的体育争议，升级为涉及外国官员的美国联邦刑事案件。

The United States attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York is scrutinizing Russian government officials, athletes, coaches, antidoping authorities and anyone who might have benefited unfairly from a doping regime, according to the people, who did not have authorization to speak about the inquiry publicly. Prosecutors are believed to be pursuing conspiracy and fraud charges.

据上述知情人士透露，纽约州东区的联邦检察官办公室正在调查一些俄罗斯政府官员、运动员、教练、反兴奋剂机构，以及任何可能从使用兴奋剂的体制中不当获益的人。两人没有获得授权，无法公开谈论这一案件。据信，检方正试图确立的是密谋和诈骗罪名。

Federal courts have allowed prosecutors to bring cases against foreigners living abroad if there is some connection to the United States. That connection can be limited, such as the use of an American bank.

美国联邦法院允许检方对在海外居住的外籍人士提起诉讼，前提是他们与美国存在关联。这种关联会比较有限，比如使用美国银行的服务。

A report published by the World Anti-Doping Agency in November accused Russia of systematic state-sponsored doping. The chemist identified as a linchpin in that operation — Grigory Rodchenkov, the longtime head of Russia’s antidoping laboratory — told The New York Times this month that he worked for years, at the direction of the Russian government, to help the country’s athletes use banned, performance-enhancing substances in global competition and go undetected.

去年11月，世界反兴奋剂机构(World Anti-Doping Agency)发布了一份报告，指控俄罗斯存在得到国家支持的系统性地使用兴奋剂的情况。长期担任俄罗斯反兴奋剂实验室主任的格里戈里·罗琴科夫(Grigory Rodchenkov)被认为是在其中扮演关键角色的化学家。他本月告诉《纽约时报》，在俄罗斯政府的指示下，他多年来一直在帮助俄罗斯运动员在全球性的比赛中使用可以提高比赛成绩的违禁药物，并一齐向外界隐瞒。

Dr. Rodchenkov is among the people under scrutiny by the United States government, said one of the two people with direct knowledge of the case.

对此案件有直接了解的两名人士中的一位表示，罗琴科夫是美国政府正在调查的人物之一。

Russian officials have responded to the accusations with both defiance and contrition. While often emphatically dismissing the claims as a Western conspiracy intended to discredit Russia, they have sometimes struck a more conciliatory tone, perhaps seeking to win the favor of sports officials in control of their country’s ability to compete in the coming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

对于这些指控，俄罗斯官员既表示抗议，也做出了懊悔的姿态。尽管他们还像一贯所做的那样将此类指控斥为西方意图败坏俄罗斯名誉的阴谋，但他们有时也会采取一种更缓和的语气，或许是在试图讨好可以决定该国能否参加即将到来的里约热内卢夏季奥运会的那些国际体育官员。

The Russian Sports Ministry acknowledged doping problems in a statement last week after Dr. Rodchenkov’s claims were published in The Times. It did not specify what those problems were. Then, writing in The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, the Russian sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, said that Russian officials, coaches and athletes had made “serious mistakes,” but he stopped short of outlining them or admitting to any state involvement.

在时报刊出了罗琴科夫的言论之后，俄罗斯体育部上周发布了一份声明，承认该国存在兴奋剂问题。文中没有具体说明存在哪些问题。接着，俄罗斯体育部长维塔利·穆特科(Vitaly Mutko)在英国媒体《星期日泰晤士报》(The Sunday Times)上发文表示，一些俄罗斯官员、教练和运动员犯下了“严重的错误”，但他既没有点明是什么错误，也没有承认政府与之有任何关联。

In their inquiry, United States prosecutors are expected to scrutinize anyone who might have facilitated unclean competition in the United States or used the United States banking system to conduct a doping program.

美国检方调查的对象，预计会包括所有可能促成在美国境内的比赛中出现服药现象的人，以及利用美国的银行系统实施兴奋剂计划的人。

Elite Russian athletes have competed in several major sporting events in the United States, like the Boston Marathon and international bobsled and skeleton championships in Lake Placid, N.Y.

俄罗斯顶级运动员在美国参加过多项重大赛事，比如波士顿马拉松赛，和在纽约州普莱西德湖进行的国际有舵雪橇和钢架雪橇锦标赛。

The inquiry, which originated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, would have to clear several hurdles before charges could be filed. Even if prosecutors are able to establish jurisdiction, securing the cooperation of Russian authorities in pursuing evidence and witnesses — and in ultimately delivering any charged defendants to the United States — would be all but impossible.

在提起诉讼之前，这项首先由美国联邦调查局(Federal Bureau of Investigation)发起的调查必须首先解决几个障碍。就算美国检方确立了司法管辖权，要让俄罗斯当局配合他们获取证据和证人——以及最终将遭到指控的被告移交给美国——也几乎是不可能的。