WADA report exposes unique measures Russians take to cheat
How far are Russian athletes willing to go to cheat? Very far, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Two days before the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) votes on whether Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in the Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) released a report that contained numerous allegations, including this startling one:
“Athletics athlete used a container inserted inside her body (presumably containing clean urine). When she tried to use the container it leaked onto the floor and not into the collection vessel. The athlete threw the container into the trash which was retrieved by the DCO. The athlete also tried to bribe the DCO. Eventually the athlete provided a sample which subsequently returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF).”
The WADA report claims that a number of athletes across many Olympic sports evaded drug tests by lying about their whereabouts. It also states that there were a “significant amount of Unavailable Athlete Reports and Missed Tests.”
WADA administered 2,947 tests on Russian athletes between Nov. 18, 2015 and May 29. The report claims that 49 Russian athletes tested positive for meldonium, 23 requested tests were missed, 736 tests were “declined or cancelled,” and 111 missed tests were due to “whereabouts failures.”
Russia’s athletic federation was suspended indefinitely from international competition by the IAAF back in November. That was the result of a WADA report that alleged “state-sponsored doping.”
The Russian federation has been pushing hard ever since for a repeal of the ban, and has claimed that its program has undergone widespread reform. The most recent WADA report suggests otherwise.
