- Title: Head of Russian doping federation hints at "shadow forces" in lab tampering
- Date: 17th October 2019
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (FILE - MAY 24, 2016) (REUTERS) MORE OF RUSSIAN ANTI-DOPING CENTRE INTERIOR
- Embargoed: 31st October 2019 22:59
- Keywords: RUSADA WADA TOKYO 2020
- Location: COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, UNITED STATES / MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City: COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, UNITED STATES / MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: USA
- Topics: Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA007B1HMMGV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The head of Russia's anti-doping agency told an audience at a U.S. sports conference that "shadow forces" in his country may be responsible for tampering with lab results in the massive doping case that may ultimately determine Russia's participation in the Tokyo Olympics.
Yuri Ganus described the struggle between a group including his agency, clean athletes, their coaches and other unknown authorities. Ganus has suggested in other venues that some older athletes in positions of power now want to protect their past performances from review. Ganus also dismissed reports that RUSADA co-ordinated changes to the Moscow laboratory data before it was handed over to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He spoke on Wednesday (October 16) at the Play the Game conference in Colorado Springs, the home of the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has opened compliance proceedings against RUSADA after examining the vast bank of historical testing data it received in January. The agency is in danger of being declared non-compliant by WADA after a suspension was lifted, which could put increased pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude Russia from the Tokyo Games next year for failing to ensure that its athletes are clean.
The Moscow laboratory data is needed to open doping cases from major events including the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where anti-doping officials said Russian authorities took part in an elaborate scheme to cover up doping tests.
Russia has denied running a state doping programme but has acknowledged that officials were involved in covering up doping cases. Ganus has also has called for a full overhaul in the country's sports management that would include the dismissal of any state officials involved in the scandal.
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