IOC President Thomas Bach said that WADA's decision should be respected.GETTY IMAGES
IOC President Thomas Bach said that the decision to reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) last month "put the ball in Russia's court" and the agency "must now stick to agreed conditions to keep the ban lifted," according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. WADA on Sept. 20 lifted the ban on RUSADA "amid vocal opposition from some athletes and anti-doping agencies" as the Russian agency "had not fulfilled criteria set out for reinstatement" when it was banned in Nov. '15. WADA recently readmitted the Russian agency, saying that failure to allow access to stored samples in the Moscow laboratory and refusal to recognize an IOC report on Russia "would lead to a renewed ban." Bach said, "The ball is now in the court of Russia in order to keep the suspension lifted. Now it is up to Russia to react." He "noted the opposition of some athletes to the reinstatement" but said that "democratic processes were followed throughout and the decision should be respected." Bach: "That's normal in such a discussion. But we have to respect the democratic legitimacy of athletes' representatives who have been elected by their peers and are accountable there" (REUTERS, 10/4).
'LOST THE TRUST': Grohmann also reported Olympic Gold Medalist Kirsty Coventry, who was recently named Zimbabwe's sports minister, said that she "understood the frustration of athletes" following WADA's decision and "admitted a rift had been created." The decision was "welcomed" by Coventry's commission but "triggered sharp criticism from other athletes groups as well as some anti-doping agencies." Coventry said, "I 100 percent understand that. I totally get it. Sport is about bringing people together and creating hope and we have lost that a bit. We have lost a bit of respect for each other. There are different groups and we have lost the trust to have a conversation" (REUTERS, 10/6).
