Russian Anti-Doping Agency

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA; Russian: Российское антидопинговое агентство, РУСАДА), established in January 2008, is the Russian National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), affiliated with (but suspended from, since 2015)[1][2] the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Russian Anti-Doping Agency
РУСАДА
FormationJanuary 2008
PurposeAnti-doping in sport
Region served
Russia
Director-General (acting)
Mikhail Bukhanov
AffiliationsRussian Olympic Committee
World Anti-Doping Agency (currently suspended)
Websiterusada.ru

History

It was established under the rules of the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport approved at the 33rd UNESCO General Conference on 19 October 2005, and ratified by the Russian Federation on 26 December 2006.[3] As the Russian NADO, the organization operates the anti-doping programs for Russian Olympic and Paralympic sport.

The organization's WADA accreditation, which under normal circumstances would have been valid until 2017,[4] is currently suspended due to compliance issues discussed below.[1]

The agency website claims they are an organization independent from the Russian government.[5]

The Acting Director-General of RUSADA, since at least October 2020, is Mikhail Bukhanov.[6]

ARAF doping allegations
Doping sample collecting kit

Following allegations made by German broadcaster ARD in 2014, WADA commissioned a report into doping and associated corruption in Russian athletics. The report, published in November 2015, was highly critical of RUSADA and the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF), as well as singling out several individuals for doping offences. It concluded that RUSADA was under improper influence from the Russian Ministry of Sport. They further alleged that the agency and its employees athletes gave advance notice of tests to athletes and "routinely" took bribes to cover up doping.[7][8]

On 18 November 2015, WADA suspended the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, a laboratory of RUSADA; however the organization was not dissolved and tests are to be done by other independent labs.[1][9]

In February 2016, two high-ranking directors of the organisation—Vyacheslav Sinyev and Nikita Kamayev—died.[10] According to The Sunday Times, Kamayev approached the news agency shortly before his death planning to publish a book on "the true story of sport pharmacology and doping in Russia since 1987".[11]

2016 McLaren Report

On 18 July 2016, Richard McLaren, a WADA-appointed investigator, published a 97-page report covering significant state-sponsored doping in Russia.[12][13] It concluded that it was shown "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the RUSADA, the Ministry of Sport, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Centre of Sports Preparation of the National Teams of Russia had "operated for the protection of doped Russian athletes" within a "state-directed failsafe system" using "the disappearing positive [test] methodology."[12][13][14][15] According to the McLaren report, the Disappearing Positive Methodology operated from "at least late 2011 to August 2015."[12]: 35  It was used on 643 positive samples, a number that the authors consider "only a minimum" due to limited access to Russian records.[12]: 39 

In response to these findings, WADA announced that RUSADA should be regarded as non-compliant with respect to the World Anti-Doping Code and recommended that Russian athletes be banned from competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[16]

On 18 May 2018, WADA said that the RUSADA suspension will remain in place until they make progress towards full compliance.[2] On 20 September 2018 later that year, the suspension was lifted by WADA.[17]

References
  1. Faloyin, Dipo (19 November 2015). "WADA Suspends Russia's Anti-Doping Agency". Newsweek. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  2. Keating, Steve (May 18, 2018). "Doping: Russia remains non-compliant as WADA shows cracks". Reuters. Retrieved 10 July 2018. Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA) remains suspended and will continue to be non-compliant until it has met all the criteria for reinstatement
  3. "History". RUSADA.
  4. "RUSADA has successfully passed the recertification audit for compliance with international standard ISO 9001:2008". Russian Anti-Doping Agency. 8 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-01-20.
  5. "Mission". RUSADA.
  6. "Глава РУСАДА заявил, что агентство продолжает находиться в постоянном контакте с WADA" [The head of RUSADA said that the agency continues to be in constant contact with WADA] (in Russian). TASS. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022. Об этом заявил исполняющий обязанности генерального директора РУСАДА Михаил Буханов [This was stated by Mikhail Bukhanov, Acting Director General of RUSADA]
  7. "Ban All Russian Track Athletes: World Anti-Doping Agency Panel". NBC. Associated Press. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  8. Gibson, Owen (9 November 2015). "Russia accused of 'state-sponsored doping' as Wada calls for athletics ban". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  9. Ingle, Sean (18 November 2015). "Russian Anti-Doping Agency suspended by Wada for non-compliance". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  10. "Скончался бывший исполнительный директор РУСАДА Никита Камаев Подробнее на ТАСС" [Former RUSADA Executive Director Nikita Kamaev passed away] (in Russian). TASS. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  11. "Late Russian anti-doping agency boss was set to expose true story: report". Reuters. 2016-02-21. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
  12. "McLaren Independent Investigations Report into Sochi Allegations". WADA. 18 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  13. Ruiz, Rebecca R. (18 July 2016). "Russia May Face Olympics Ban as Doping Scheme Is Confirmed". The New York Times.
  14. Ford, Bonnie D. (18 July 2016). "Takeaways from McLaren Report? Confusion, corruption, cynicism". ESPN. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  15. Hendricks, Maggie (18 July 2016). "The damning McLaren Report on Russian Olympic doping, explained". USA Today. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  16. "WADA Statement: Independent Investigation confirms Russian State manipulation of the doping control process". WADA. 18 July 2016.
  17. "Wada lifts Russia's three-year doping suspension and faces its biggest crisis". By Sean Ingle. The Guardian. Sept 20, 2018.
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