United States Anti-Doping chief Travis Tygart said: ” It’s unthinkable that in the Olympic movement hackers would illegally obtain confidential medical information in an attempt to smear athletes to make it look as if they have done something wrong.
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And Reedie, who is also a senior member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said there was little doubt despite denials by the Russian government the hackers came from Russia.
The Fancy Bears have threatened to release more files saying those already published were just the “tip of the iceberg”.
“Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, said on Tuesday that Biles filed the appropriate Therapeutic Use Exemptions” (TUEs) paperwork required by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and WADA, “and there is no violation”. “Wait for sensational proof of famous athletes taking doping substances any time soon”.
“I have ADHD and I have taken medicine for it since I was a kid”, the gymnast, who won four medals at the Rio Olympics last month, posted on Twitter.
The USA Gymnastics organization released a statement on Twitter as well about the hack.
The athletes affected by the hacking haven’t broken any sporting rules, as they were given special permission to use the medication. “Please know, I believe in clean sport, I have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me”. Tuesday, WADA confirmed the hack and authorities have traced the hack to Russian Federation. The anti-doping agency database account of whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova was hacked in August.
“WADA has no doubt that these ongoing attacks are being carried out in retaliation against the agency, and the global anti-doping system, because of our independent Pound and McLaren investigations that exposed state-sponsored doping in Russian Federation”, said Niggli.
It had recommended banning all Russian athletes from the Rio 2016 games, after an independent report said the country operated a state-sponsored doping program during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
Reedie, whose body advocated a ban on all Russian athletes at the Rio Games before the International Olympic Committee controversially ruled federations should decide on the eligibility of each one in their respective sports to compete, said the hacking had to stop.
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The scandal broke after the entire Russian Paralympic team and almost 120 athletes from the country’s Olympic squad were barred from competing in Rio, after an investigation found that Moscow ran a state-sponsored sports doping program.
