Russia, facing deepening scrutiny over accusations that it orchestrated a doping campaign during the Sochi Olympics in 2014, on Sunday made a public plea for its track and field athletes to be allowed to compete in this summer’s Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Writing in The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, the Russian sports minister said Russian officials, coaches and athletes made “serious mistakes,” but he stopped short of specifying them or admitting to any state role.

“We are very sorry that athletes who tried to deceive us, and the world, were not caught sooner,” wrote the sports minister, Vitaly Mutko. “We are very sorry because Russia is committed to upholding the highest standards in sport and is opposed to anything that threatens the Olympic values.”

But he added: “It cannot be right that clean athletes should suffer for the behavior of others. In no other walk of life would this happen.”