WADA Bank President: It is important for us to maintain an open line of communication with RUSADA

MOSCOW, June 9 – RIA Novosti. WADA chief executive Vitold Banka said it was important for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to maintain an open line of communication with the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

At the end of February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) called on world sports federations to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions under their auspices due to the situation in Ukraine. This advice was followed by most international sports organisations.

After a series of doping scandals surrounding Russian sports, in December 2019 the WADA Executive Committee admitted RUSADA to non-compliance with anti-doping rules and unanimously passed the Compliance Committee’s (CRC) recommendation to suspend Russian athletes for a period of four years. In major international competitions, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. At the plenary meeting of RUSADA members, the agency’s supervisory board’s recommendations not to agree with the WADA executive committee’s decision were adopted. WADA applied to CAS after receiving notification from RUSADA that it did not comply with the Executive Committee’s decision.

CAS eased WADA’s sanctions on Russian sports, effectively halving the penalty compared to what WADA had originally requested. According to the CAS decision, Russian athletes will not be able to compete in major international competitions under the Russian flag for two years – until December 16, 2022. According to the CAS’s decision, RUSADA must meet a number of conditions within two years (or earlier as agreed with WADA) to re-establish compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code, including an audit.