WADA AC Statement on the Upcoming WADA ExCo Decision on Russia

Statement on the upcoming WADA ExCo Decision on Russia

Majority of WADA Athlete Committee members call for strongest possible sanctions

December 7th, 2019

When reinstatement of RUSADA was granted in 2018, WADA's CRC Chair reassured those who questioned the decision that should the dada prove to be tampered or manipulated, they would not hesitate to "pursue the most stringent sanctions" available to them.

WADA's Intelligence and Investigations department has now released a report outlining acts of "stunning deception" in the new deletion, altering and manipulation of the LIMS data required to fulfill the conditions stout in the conditional granting of compliance. With 145 cases that cannot be sanctioned, we will never know who those athletes are, or if they continue to defraud clean athletes, the public and Major Games.

A majority of the WADA Athlete Committee strongly believe that the only appropriate response to Russia's actions is a complete ban on Russian participation in the Olympic & Paralympic Games.

To date, the Russian doping saga has dominated three Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a fourth on the horizon. Russia's ongoing and intentional acts of deception, fraud and corruption have made a mockery not only of those who play by the rules, but those who create and safeguard them.

The Russian authorities have shown a complete disregard for their athlete's rights and safety. First by implementing a state-run doping system, then by advocating that only athletes should be individually responsible for that wrongdoing, and now by manipulating the data. This entire fiasco created by Russia has cheated far too many athletes of their dreams and rightful careers, for far too long.

Russia cannot blame WADA or international sports organizations for enforcing the rules that all must abide by, when they have been caught breaking them over and over again. Athletes are tired of solutions lines with concessions and compromise- and history has proven them ineffective.

We support a complete ban of Russian participation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games as the only meaningful sanction. We maintain that the fraud, manipulation and deception revealed to date will only be encourages and perpetuated with a lesser response. We believe that until these critical abuses of integrity in sport are confronted with courage and a resolute commitment to protect athletes and clean sport, they will continue, and the sports we love retail tarnished.

The time has come to stand up for athletes and clean sport.

This statement is supported by the following members of the WADA Athlete Committee:

Beckie Scott (Canada)

Ben Sandford (New Zealand)

Vicki Aggar (Great Britain)

Adam Pengilly (Great Britain)

Chiel Warners (Netherlands)

Greta Neimanas (United States of America)

Petr Koukal (Czech Republic)

Richard Schmidt (Germany)

Hayley Wickenheiser (Canada)