Reactions to Wada’s decision
LONDON: The decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) on Thursday to lift, subject to certain conditions, a ban on Russia’s anti-doping authority (Rusada) has been met by an almost unanimous chorus of disapproval from around the world.
Rusada has been suspended in 2015 following allegations of widespread state-sponsored doping.
Here is how the news of Wada’s decision has been received.
• Jim Walden, lawyer for Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, in a statement:
“Wada’s decision to reinstate Russia represents the greatest treachery against clean athletes in Olympic history.
“The United States is wasting its money by continuing to fund Wada, which is obviously impotent to address Russia’s statesponsored doping.
• Inaki Gomez, chair of the IAAF Athletes’ Commission, on Twitter:
“Not surprising... yet, to say I’m disappointed is a huge understatement. I stand by my comments: ‘the reinstatement of Rusada, given the softening of the demand that Russia accept the findings of the McLaren Report, will tarnish Wada’s reputation and bring sport into disrepute’.”
• Paulina Tomczyk, general secretary of EU Athletes, on Twitter:
“Among other things it highlights that athletes, even the ones picked by @wada_ama itself for Athlete Committee, have absolutely no voice in anti-doping.
• Nicole Sapstead, UK AntiDoping chief executive:
“The outcome of today’s Wada meeting is deeply troubling for clean sport. Wada has cast aside its responsibilities to clean athletes, sports fans and those who work tirelessly for clean sport.
• Yuri Ganus, director-general of Rusada:
“There’s a lot of work ahead. There are conditions... in order to definitively be reinstated we need to meet these conditions. So it’s a conditional reinstatement.”
• International Olympic Committee, spokesperson:
“We take note of the decision taken by the Executive Committee of Wada which is made up of an equal number of members from governments and from the sports movement. It follows the recommendation of the independent Compliance Review Committee.”
• Travis Tygart, chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency:
“Today marked the biggest decision in the Wada’s history, and it delivered a devastating blow to the world’s clean athletes.