WADA in ‘last chance saloon’ over Russia

LOS ANGELES: The World AntiDoping Agency (WADA) will be delivering a hammer blow to the morale of clean athletes if they lift sanctions against Russia this week, US drugs czar Travis Tygart warned Monday.

United States Anti-Doping chief executive Tygart said WADA were entering the “last chance saloon” as they prepare to decide on Russia’s fate at a meeting in the Seychelles tomorrow.

WADA stunned the sports world last week after announcing that the body’s compliance review committee had recommended lifting their three-year suspension of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

The recommendation, which paves the way for Russia’s readmission into international sport if approved, came after the committee said they had reviewed a letter from the Russia Ministry of Sport which “sufficiently acknowledged” failures in the doping scandal uncovered in 2015.

WADA said Russia had also vowed to provide full access to data and samples from their drug-tainted Moscow laboratory, the second of two key demands required for reinstatement.

Speaking on Monday, however, Tygart criticized the apparent softening of WADA’s position, voicing fears the reinstatement of Russia could have a corrosive effect on the morale of athletes committed to competing cleanly.

“I think they’re entering their last chance saloon,” Tygart said of WADA. “They have an opportunity to right the ship, but athletes are frustrated.

“In the words of athletes out there, they want Russia back at any cost. And even at the cost of the credibility of the system and the weakening of WADA in the eyes of the world.

“That’s a horrible position to be in if you’re an athlete. Because it’s tough enough to live by the anti-doping rules. You want to compete clean and you’re willing to do it. But that’s as long as you believe those that are enforcing the rules against others have your back.

“The moment you think they’re willing to turn a blind eye — whether it’s a large country like Russia, or individual athletes — that then puts a lot of pressure on you to similarly throw in the towel, and cheat.

“And so that’s the climate we now face, where athletes are put in a position where they don’t have confidence in the global watchdog to protect them and they are seriously asking themselves ‘Is doing it the right way really important?’”

Tygart said WADA’s release of correspondence on Saturday, intended to provide transparency over their dealings with Russian authorities, had merely shown the agency had “tried to pull a fast one.” “It’s really laughable.”

Tygart said there was no evidence that Russia had fully acknowledged the extent and scale of the doping scandal uncovered in the WADA investigation by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren in 2015, which detailed a vast, government-supported doping conspiracy.

Tygart also laughed off any suggestion that Russia could be trusted to undertake reforms.

Nevertheless, Tygart expressed hope that tomorrow’s WADA executive committee decision on Russia was not necessarily a foregone conclusion, noting the resignation on Saturday of compliance committee member Beckie Scott, an Olympic gold medallist who remains chairwoman of WADA’s athletes committee.

Tygart said Olympic broadcasters and sponsors could ultimately bring pressure to bear to strengthen global anti-doping efforts.