Russian Federation have been suspended from global competition since November after an investigation commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency uncovered systematic cheating and the taskforce set up by the IAAF to monitor the country’s anti-doping progress is ready to deliver its all-important report to the council.
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The report detailed how one track and field athlete had been caught trying to provide a urine sample using a container inserted into her body.
WADA said in May that the number of tests conducted in Russia over the preceding six months had fallen by more than half against the same period a year earlier, when the Russian agency was still controlling the tests.
Regarding athlete evasion, the report states that one athlete was seen “running away from (the) notification area/mixed zone after competing and prior to chaperone attempting notification”, while one athlete is said to have exited the stadium during her race “and could not be located”.
The update comes two days before the International Association of Athletics Federations hold a key vote in Vienna on whether to allow Russian track and field athletes to compete at the August 5-21 Rio Olympics. The report added: “The athlete threw the container into the trash which was retrieved by the DCO (doping control officer)”.
National championships for Olympic sports including Olympic qualifiers held in cities with restricted access due to ongoing civil conflicts resulting in service providers declining test requests. “I don’t rule out that we will make this move in the near future”.
“I’m a human being and I feel sorry for the Russian athletes that haven’t actually done anything wrong and unfortunately that could mean they don’t get to compete in Rio”, he told Press Association Sport. The report was made public Wednesday after it was shared with the global federation governing track and field.
Following the release of the film, WADA launched an investigation into the allegations of doping abuse in Russian sports.
The claims were made by whistleblowers including Vitaly Stepanov – a former Russian Anti-Doping Agency official – and his wife Yulia (nee Rusanova), a former 800m runner who was banned for doping.
Athletes also appear to be dodging tests by withdrawing from competitions at short notice when drug testers are present.
At the same time, Russian Federation began giving an extra donation to WADA, with no reason earmarked on WADA’s financial statements – an unusual move.
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The IAAF’s council meets on 17 June in Vienna, where it will discuss what Russian authorities have done to tackle doping – and whether its athletes should be allowed to compete in Rio.
