The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) does not have sufficient information to decide if restoring the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) will enter the agenda of the WADA Board of Directors Meeting in November, WADA Director General Olivier Niggli said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2022) The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) does not have sufficient information to decide if restoring the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) will enter the agenda of the WADA Board of Directors Meeting in November, WADA Director General Olivier Niggli said on Thursday.
WADA is closely monitoring the situation with RUSADA as well as the conditions it must fulfill to comply with the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Yet the information that WADA has received so far is insufficient to give a conclusive answer if RUSADA's compliance status will be discussed at the board of directors' meeting or not, Niggli said.
Furthermore, the anti-doping agency will conduct an online audit of RUSADA, WADA chief said, noting that there are some other conditions that the Russian side has yet to meet.
WADA legal consultant Ross Wenzel echoed Niggli's point, saying that RUSADA has not satisfied some financial requirements of CAS. He also stressed that apart from them, RUSADA has to prove its independence and assist the investigation of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory database.
Wenzel added that WADA will keep monitoring RUSADA for two more years to make sure it complies with all the conditions.
In December 2019, WADA labeled RUSADA as non-compliant with the world anti-doping code and suspended Russian athletes from competing in major international competitions under the national flag for four years, along with imposing a range of other restrictions. RUSADA challenged the decision in CAS.
The court sided with WADA in barring Russia from international sports events but limited the ban to two years, down from the proposed four. Until December 16, 2022, Russian athletes will only be allowed to compete in the status of neutral participants after vigorous checks. The CAS ruling also obligates RUSADA to meet a number of conditions, including conducting an audit, to prove restoring compliance with the anti-doping code.
