Russian Anti-Doping boss says data from a Moscow laboratory has been manipulated


Russian Anti-Doping boss says data from a Moscow laboratory has been manipulated

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) chief, Yuri Ganus, has said that he believes data handed from a Moscow laboratory to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been intentionally manipulated.  

WADA had raised concerns with Russia due to there being significant inconsistencies, with the Russian Sports Minister, Pavel Kolobkov stating that all of WADA’s questions regarding the data had been answered. Ganus is of the view that the inconsistencies are so significant that it simply cannot be an accident or mistake which points to intentional tampering.  

Ganus continued by saying that there hasn’t been large amounts of data totally erased but rather modifications or changing of dates so as to hide the information that would have been discovered from the data. He has also defended RUSADA by saying that the tempering has nothing to do them as they do not have access to the relevant Moscow laboratory databases.

The Russian Athletic Federation has not competed at a major championship since the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, so this means that they missed the 2016 Rio Olympics, 2017 London World Championships and most recently the 2019 Championships in Doha. This is due to the fact that the Federation was banned in November 2015 for state sponsored doping with many athletes receiving bans and senior officials being sacked and in some cases even receiving prison sentences, as a result of this Russian athletes have had to apply to compete as ‘neutral athletes’ by showing that they were not part of the doping regime whilst still having to follow strict doping criteria.

Ganus took his current position in 2017 after the scandal had been uncovered and the ban, which has frequently been extended, was handed out, but he does admit that it is likely that the changes to the data would have been carried out within the last year or so, which shows that the doping issue is far from resolved within Russian Athletics.

Due to the fact that this certainly isn’t the first time that Russia will receive sanctions related to doping violations, it has made Ganus convinced that any punishment will be serious, with the potential for Russia to be excluded from yet another Olympic Games, this time being the 2020 games in Tokyo.       

You can read the WADA statement here.

You may also like

View All

Sport Resolutions launches refreshed strategy to support its sustainable growth and integrity in sport

Sport Resolutions is pleased to announce the launch of its refreshed company strategy, developed in response to continued growth within our organisation and the wider evolution of the sporting landscape

Read More

Prevention programmes believe ACL injuries in women’s football can be reduced by half

Prevention programmes believe training and technology could possibly resolve frequent torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) in women’s football by half or more

Read More

Sport Resolutions invites applications for the roles of Chair and Member(s) of the ITF Ethics Commission

Sport Resolutions is seeking independent individuals to serve as Chair and Member(s) of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Ethics Commission, playing a key role in upholding ethical standards and promoting good governance in international tennis

Read More

Newsletter Signup

Please enter your email address below: