Russia "has taken a big step" toward a return from "nearly three years in the wilderness after making key concessions over its state-sponsored doping scandal," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. WADA recommended that Russia’s anti-doping agency be reinstated after saying that a new letter from the Russian sports ministry "sufficiently acknowledged the issues identified in Russia, therefore fulfilling the first of the two outstanding criteria." Russia also said that it would "allow access to the Moscow laboratory's stored anti-doping samples and computer data." The developments "should provide the necessary concessions" for WADA's exec board next week to reinstate the national anti-doping agency, "allowing athletics to permit Russia to return" to int'l competition (LONDON TIMES, 9/15).
STEPPING ASIDE: In London, Tom Morgan reported WADA was "plunged into fresh turmoil" over its plans to drop sanctions against Russia after a key member of the committee that made the recommendation "quit in disgust." WADA Athlete Committee Chair Beckie Scott reportedly resigned after becoming "extremely frustrated" at WADA's determination to allow Russia's "dramatic return." Scott, a Canadian former cross-country skiing Olympic champion, "has previously expressed concern that Russia was not being punished severely enough." The "row surrounding the decision deepened further" on Friday as documents suggested the chair of the committee "still has doubts that Moscow will give full access to its laboratories." Paralympic champion Emma Wiggs tweeted, "Still desperately falls short & fails all clean athletes but they will let them back in .... as IOC want Russia back in....& IOC fund 50% of Wada .....you do the maths" (TELEGRAPH, 9/15).
NOT OUT OF THE WOODS: The London INDEPENDENT reported WADA warned Russia's national anti-doping agency "it will once again be declared non-compliant if it misses a strict deadline to pass on data from its Moscow laboratory." In a statement issued on Saturday, which WADA said aimed to "clarify misinformation" regarding its decision, WADA "made clear the episode could be far from over." The statement read, "If the CRC's [Compliance Review Committee] recommendation is approved by the Wada ExCo on 20 September, Rusada [Russian Anti-Doping Agency] will be declared compliant. However, for the avoidance of doubt, the second condition demands that Wada receives a copy of the former Moscow Laboratory's database and the raw data via an independent expert within a strict time limit to be determined by the ExCo" (INDEPENDENT, 9/16). REUTERS' Gene Cherry reported WADA "also attempted to address" what it termed "speculation and misinformation that is circulating" about documents obtained by the BBC that suggested the chair of the review committee "has doubts Moscow will give full access to its laboratories." WADA said, "There is nothing new or concerning in the latest leaked document of an exchange between WADA and the Russian Ministry of Sport. The way in which WADA approached the Ministry was recommended by the Agency’s independent CRC at its June meeting and its content is entirely in line with the RUSADA Roadmap to Compliance first established in January 2017" (REUTERS, 9/15).
UNDER INVESTIGATION: REUTERS' John Revill reported Swiss prosecutors "are investigating whether Russian agents tried to hack" WADA, Switzerland's Office of the Attorney General said on Saturday, "broadening the scope of alleged espionage against institutions in Switzerland." Criminal proceedings were launched in March '17 "on suspicion of political espionage," the OAG said in a statement. The statement said, "As part of these proceedings the OAG, in cooperation with the Federal Intelligence Service, was able to identify two individuals. The aforementioned criminal proceedings ... refer to criminal proceedings being conducted by the OAG due to a cyber-attack against the World Anti-Doping Agency." Swiss media on Saturday said that the WADA and IOC offices in Lausanne "had both been targeted" (REUTERS, 9/15).
