Olympia: Russia under pressure: WADA owns database of Moscow laboratory

The World Anti-Doping Agency WADA may have received the crucial piece of the puzzle for proving a government-controlled doping system in Russia. WADA announced on Friday that the in-house investigation team had acquired the so-called Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) of the Moscow laboratory.

According to WADA, the data collection contains all doping test data between January 2012 and August 2015. During this period thousands of doping cases are said to have been covered up in Russia.

On Wednesday, the competent Russian investigation commission declared all allegations of state doping to be refuted. On Friday, on the other hand, WADA announced that the new data and cross-references to the findings of the independent special investigator Richard McLaren “strengthened WADA’s evidence base”.

Where WADA got the data from, she did not say. According to the New York Times, they come from a whistleblower who became active after the Russian side refused to release them. The WADA did not name details from the data set. The WADA department responsible for the coup is headed by Günter Younger from Germany.

McLaren had found in two reports that more than 1000 athletes would have benefited from a state-controlled doping system in Russia between 2011 and 2015. On Friday, WADA once again made explicit reference to details: The Moscow laboratory had reported all positive analyses to the Ministry of Sports “in complete violation of international standards”, and the Ministry then reported the athletes’ tests “negative” with a “rescue or quarantine order”.

On the basis of these findings, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has also imposed lifelong Olympic blocks on the first Russian athletes in recent days. Negotiations against 21 other Russian athletes are still ongoing.

At a meeting between the 5. and 7. On 12 December, the IOC executive wants to impose an overarching penalty against Russia, also with a view to the Winter Games in Pyeongchang (9-9 December). till 25. February). The new data, which according to WADA the two Russian commissions of the IOC have already received, could justify a harsher punishment of the Russians.

“WADA remains firmly behind the results of the independent McLaren inquiry,”said Craig Reedie, President of WADA:”This new news serves to reaffirm our call to the Russian authorities to publicly acknowledge the results. This will enable us all to make progress in restoring public confidence in Russian sport.”

The IOC only reported on Friday evening, at the request of SID, that WADA had informed the Schmid and Oswald Commissions of the latest developments. An IOC spokesperson said that cooperation with WADA would continue.

The WADA executive will decide next week whether the Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA will be recognized again. In its communication on Friday, the top anti-doping authority stressed that now more than ever before, two conditions would apply: anti-doping officials in Russia would have to recognise McLaren’s findings and the government would have to allow full access to all doping samples and data stored in the Moscow laboratory.

Since the blockades against the first Russian athletes, including cross-country Olympic champion Alexander Legkov, the Russians had sharpened the tone towards WADA and IOC. Several politicians called for a boycott of the Pyeongchang Games if the IOC were indeed to ban the Russian anthem or exclude athletes from the opening ceremony. Among other things, the IOC is currently considering these measures, the New York Times wrote.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had accused the United States of using the doping scandal to discredit the Russian government, saying,”In response to our alleged disruption of their elections, they now want to cause problems in our presidential elections,”Putin said on Thursday.