MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th June, 2020) Richard McLaren, who led the investigation of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) against its former chief, Tamas Ajan, had previously conducted similar work in Russia via the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and it is surprising that the expert preferred not to notice that the doping-related problems have their roots in international organizations, IWF Executive Committee Member and Russian Weightlifting Federation (RWF) President Maxim Agapitov has told Sputnik.
In April, the IWF Executive Committee approved the resignation of Ajan, who had led the organization since 2000. According to the results of the investigation against the official published by McLaren on June 4, under Ajan, 40 positive doping tests were hidden, and a bribery system was organized to obtain votes in the elections. Furthermore, the investigators discovered more than $10 million of unaccounted funds. McLaren previously conducted a WADA investigation into anti-doping violations in Russia.
"How the person who conducted an investigation in Russia [McLaren] could not see that all traces of these violations are leading to international federations, and that these violations in 'scandalous' sports would not have been possible without 'help' from international federations, which, incidentally, are not headed by Russians?" Agapitov said.
In weightlifting, the IWF was the anti-doping organization, not the RWF, he noted.
The probe against Ajan should have also touched WADA, but McLaren was not interested in pursuing this because he successfully cooperates with WADA, Agapitov said.
"I was against this choice [appointment of McLaren as head of the commission] because of a clear conflict of interest. First of all, the IWF investigation should have included the WADA investigation, but Maclaren is not interested in identifying offenses in this organization, since it is his best client. After all, WADA paid him for several years to conduct a probe into the situation in Russia," he said.
Ajan was also associated with WADA, being a member of its board of directors since 2000, Agapitov said.
"From previous IWF news, it is clear that Dr. Ajan has established relations with WADA. We could consider good reasons for this relationship, and just as easily we could impute bad reasons. These are just a few facts of McLaren's conflict of interest," he said.
Weightlifting is at the peak of the crisis, the upcoming decisions of the IWF Executive Committee will determine the fate and vector of the development of the sport, Agapitov said.
"We must create rules and conditions for the development of the sport, so that all countries are equal in the face of these rules, and clean athletes are protected," he said.
However, further scandals in weightlifting are possible after McLaren's report, the official added.
