Olympic Games 2018: WADA President Reedie hopes for quick decision on Russian Olympic starters

WADA President Craig Reedie hopes for a short-term decision on the admission of Russian athletes to the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang (9. till 25. February).

“As far as I know, the relevant Commission will meet this week in Lausanne and will then pass on its proposals”, Reedie told the SID in Bonn on the occasion of the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the National Anti-Doping Agency:”It must be done very quickly, the games must start on 9 May. February.”

At the beginning of December, the IOC had excluded the Russian Olympic Committee from the Winter Games because of the doping scandal, but under certain conditions offered clean Russian athletes the prospect of a start under a neutral flag.

A panel chaired by the former French Minister of Sport, Valerie Fourneyron, the “Invitation Review Panel”establishes a list of potential sportsmen and women. The Commission also includes Richard Budgett, Medical Director of the IOC, and German WADA Chief Investigator Günter Younger.

However, it is not yet known exactly what the criteria for approval are. Unfortunately, the criteria were not made public. That doesn’t help on the way to more credibility,”said Travis Tygart, head of the US Anti-Doping Agency USADA and known as the hunter of Lance Armstrong, on Tuesday in Bonn.

I am very sure that when the decisions are made public, it will be very clear what the criteria and reasons were,”said Reedie,”and the final approval will be decided by the so-called “OAR Implementation Group”, an IOC committee led by Nicole Hoevertsz (Aruba).

Before the negotiations on the objections of more than 40 Russian athletes suspended for life by the IOC for Olympic Games, Reedie hopes that the sanctions will continue. I think the Commission’s work has been very detailed. The procedure was first-class. Now we have to hope that the judges make the right decisions,”said Reedie.