In a statement, three-time Tour de France champion Froome said: “I’ve openly discussed my TUEs with the media and have no issues with the leak which confirms my statements”.
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WADA said in a statement that the hackers released data of 25 athletes from the United States, Germany, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Romania, and Russian Federation.
The three-time Tour de France victor also won bronze in the road cycling time trial at the Rio Olympics.
The leak of Wiggins and Froome’s records forced the British cycling greats to defend their medical use of otherwise-banned drugs. Everyone knows Brad suffers from asthma.
Earlier this week, the same group published information about four US athletes, including gold medal gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Venus Williams.
WADA first fell victim on Tuesday when medical records relating to “therapeutic use exemptions” (TUE) granted to certain athletes were leaked.
None of the athletes named has broken any rules, and several of the medical exemptions detailed were already known.
The substances identified in the leaks are typically anti-inflammatory medications and treatments for asthma and allergies. The leak of the medical files of athletes who competed in the Rio Summer Games appears to be a response to the International Olympic Committee’s decision to ban more than 100 Russian athletes from the 2016 Olympics amid allegations that Russia operated a state-sanctioned doping program.
The group later expanded its list of those who had been allowed to take banned substances, adding documents on over two dozen athletes from the US, Germany, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Romania and Russian Federation.
He added the files “raised many questions: Healthy athletes legally take medicines forbidden to others, while people suffering from grave illnesses are barred from the Paralympics on a mere suspicion”.
2016 Rio Olympics – Golf – Final – Women’s Individual Stroke Play – Olympic Golf Course – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 20/08/2016.
Russian officials have dismissed the claims as ridiculous.
But as cybersecurity experts pore over the hackers’ digital trail, they’re up against a familiar problem. “You blame Russian Federation for everything”, Vitaly Mutko said through a translator on the sidelines of a UEFA congress.
“You can’t link up the battle with cybercrime with redressing the rights of athletes, these are questions that fall into different categories”, Zakharova said. “It is very “in” now”.
The TUE leaks follow an earlier cyber attack from Russia that tried to find the whereabouts of Russian doping whistle-blower Yuliya Stepanova and her family, who are now living in hiding in the US. “She (Blume) has obviously become a pawn in larger global game, in which Russian forces seem to be moving focus from the documented systematic circumvention of the doping rules that has taken place in Russia”, said Michael Ask, director of the Danish NADO in a statement.
ITF President David Haggerty said on Wednesday that the global tennis federation was deeply concerned with the fact of illegal access to the database, which contained personal medical information of worldwide athletes.
The hackers, who have set up their own website, have not responded to messages seeking comment.
Although the name Fancy Bears is reportedly connected with a Russian cyber-espionage group called Tsar Team (APT28), there is still no solid evidence to prove that the attacks were originated from Russia.
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Wada said the hackers had accessed their Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS).
