Russia fears Tokyo Games ban over doping lab data tampering

THE World Anti-Doping Agency is giving Russia three weeks to explain possible signs of tampering with data from its doping laboratory, an accusation which Russian officials fear could lead to a ban from next year’s Olympics.

WADA heard about the possible tampering at its executive committee meeting in Tokyo yesterday. Turning over the data was a key requirement for the reinstatement of Russia’s antidoping agency, and WADA has formally opened a compliance procedure that could lead to a new ban if the data was manipulated. The computer files were critical to prosecuting cases against athletes alleged to have cheated at the 2014 Olympics and other major events.

“The situation is very serious,” Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov said in a statement.

He added that if Russia can’t either refute the claim or identify potential suspects, “then the Russian Olympic team’s prospects of taking part in the Games in Tokyo next year could be under threat.”

Russia was already required to send an officially neutral, smaller-than-usual squad of “Olympic Athletes from Russia” to last year’s Winter Olympics as a punishment from the International Olympic Committee for doping offenses. However, the IOC has since signaled that it considers the matter closed.

The data was handed over to WADA in January after Russia breached an earlier deadline of December 31, 2018. Before then, it was stored in a sealed-off area of the laboratory under the control of Russian law enforcement.

The data has been used to support suspensions against 12 Russian weightlifters, including 10 former world or European championship medalists, and cases in the winter sport of biathlon. WADA said it would continue to pursue cases while this latest review is ongoing.

The International Weightlifting Federation said it will “urgently liaise with WADA” about how to continue its cases.

WADA has been criticized for reinstating RUSADA under terms less stringent than the original roadmap. But director general Olivier Niggli said he stood by the decision.

“I believe it was actually a very important decision and absolutely the right decision,” Niggli said. “I’m convinced that we would not have the data if we had not taken that decision, so we would not even be talking about it today. There would still be a cloud of suspicion and nothing would have gone forward.”

Niggli conceded the tampering could force WADA to drop some of the cases, “but there will be a good number of cases which can still move forward.”

WADA would not set a firm timetable on a decision. The case is heating up a few days before the start of the track world championships in Doha, where 30 Russians will compete as neutral athletes while Russia’s track federation remains banned by the sport’s governing body.

Russia’s sports minister Pavel Kolobkov said his office had been told about the discrepancies between the data turned over by a whistleblower and data from the lab, which was being used to corroborate the whistleblower information. He indicated that Russian technical specialists will have access to the review.

“What, exactly, these inconsistencies are and what they are related to, that will be cleared up by experts in the field of digital technology from both sides, who are already cooperating,” Kolobkov said. “From our side, we will continue to offer all possible assistance.”

The Russian track federation said yesterday it knows of 14 open investigations against its athletes, including the former Olympic gold medalists Anna Chicherova and Elena Lashmanova. The federation said it found out during failed attempts to secure neutral status, which would have allowed them to compete at the world championships.

Both Chicherova and Lashmanova have already served doping bans for other offenses and would likely have been refused the status regardless.

(AP)