The World Anti-Doping Agency is reportedly has refused the chances of Russian’s athletes to compete in the next Olympic Winter Games in South Korea by refusing to lift the suspension of its anti-doping laboratory.
“Having set a road map for compliance, there are two issues that have to be fulfilled and we can’t walk away from the commitments,” Craig Reedie, the chairman of WADA said.
“We don’t have the right to decide who takes part in international competition. I am quite certain that the IOC would prefer that RUSADA was compliant.” he added.
Russia must publicly accept the results of the investigation by Richard McLaren, who concludes that it has sponsored a widespread doping program, and provides access to the athletes’ urine samples collected during the reporting period.
Russia countered that the doping program that tarnished the Sochi Olympics in 2014 was the work of a few ill-intentioned individuals, no government involved.
Russia was leading the medal standings in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games after handling the anti-doping system.
“We totally deny the existence of a state-sponsored, widespread doping program. It’s obvious that we cannot unconditionally recognise the results of the McLaren report is impossible.” Committee Alexander Zhukov, the chairman of Russian Olympic said.
Russian athletes celebrated their victory after Sochi Olympic Games in 2014. (Source:www.dailymail.co.uk)
On the other side, the US Anti-Doping Agency director, Travis Tygart, told the latest development as another sad episode in this dirty case.
“There is no other conclusion, because they refuse to recognise what the many pieces of evidence show,” Tygart said. “Clean athletes are now concerned about whether the IOC will take action to defend their rights or not.” he added.
The International Olympic Committee will have the final say on Russia’s participation in the next year Olympic Winter Games. The WADA decision and ROC chairman Zhukov’s statements will play a role in the decisions that will be made by the IOC at next month’s meeting.
Seventeen of the largest national anti-doping organisations had previously called on the IOC to suspend Russia’s participation in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Former WADA chief investigator, Jack Robertson was worried about this case. In four years of investigation, he had pinpointed both the reality of doping in Russia and the resistance world of sports.
“Yes, yes and yes. This level of organised cheating and total disregard for the rules is unprecedented. Prohibiting the Olympics in Russia is not only justified, but necessary to assert that decensy,” Robertson said last year.
“Honesty and integrity still mean something in a sporting competition. For better or for worse, the IOC and WADA will, through their decisions, send a message to current and future generations of athletes.” Robertson added.
