Russia still violating IAAF doping rules, ARD exposes

Russian athletics, currently suspended worldwide, is massively violating the requirements of the International Association IAAF and the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA and thus risking its exclusion from the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

That is the finding of research by the ARD/WDR Doping research team led by the award-winning author Hajo Seppelt.

Doping Top Secret: Russia’s Red Herrings was the title of the 30-minute long part three of his series of documentaries about the doping system in Russia, which was broadcast Sunday evening on WDR weekly programme, Sportschau (Inside Sports).

In it the ARD/WDR-Doping research team presented numerous examples in audio and video form about the violations of the regulations of IAAF and WADA.

The two previous documentaries by Seppelt and the ARD/WDR-Doping research team led world governing body, the IAAF to suspend Russian athletes from all international competitions indefinitely in November 2015.

Russia’s sports leadership vowed to make improvements and promised fundamental reforms but as the documentary proved, this is mere lip service.

Suspended coaches continue to coach deep in the Russian provinces as if nothing had happened while others are still active drug dealers.

And, according to documents in the possession of ARD/WDR, a newly-elected leader of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency RUSADA, had in the past informed athletes about dates for doping tests, as the documents seen by the ARD/WDR Doping research team prove.

“When an official intentionally informs athletes in advance of doping tests, in order to defeat the doping control, disciplinary consequences must follow. This must be investigated, and a consequence would be that this person is fired,” Joseph de Pencier, the appalled chairman of the International Association of National Anti-Doping Associations said, demanding more clarity about Russia.

“We are very sceptical. According to current knowledge, Russian athletes should not be allowed to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games,” he added.

“Apparently, the situation as it is has been called into question by the WADA Independent Commission, has not substantially changed,” the president of the German Athletics Association (DLV), Clemens Prokop added.

“This can only mean that the  conditions for the Olympic participation of Russian athletes are not satisfied,” he bluntly stated.

The brief summary and the original documentary can be seen (without geo blocking) on ARD’s sport website www.sportschau.de.

Report courtesy of ARD/WDR