After Russia's widespread violations at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, new World Anti-Doping Agency Dir General Olivier Niggli said that "an expanding investigations staff will be on the lookout for state-sponsored cheating in other nations," according to Ronald Blum of the AP. Niggli:
"It has happened in one country. I think it would be naive to think it's the only country. We have to have our eyes really open and also make sure we act on intelligence and information we might get." Niggli said that WADA "will have conversations with FIFA about testing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia." He said, "It's still sufficiently far away to hope that things will have changed and improved in Russia. It's very important that we be able to work with the Russians to try to set up a system that is called compliant and that will provide some safeguards so that everybody regains confidence in what is going on there." Niggli rejected a suggestion by Russian President Vladimir Putin that "athletes with therapeutic use exemptions be excluded from major competitions." Niggli:
"I don't think it's meaningful. I think every human being has a right of being treated for medical conditions." He said that WADA accepts the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision "to cut the suspension of Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova from two years to 15 months." Niggli: "It was slightly surprising that at that level she wouldn't get warned properly by her entourage" (AP, 10/13).
