Russia must recognise McLaren report's findings to be reinstated: WADA

Russia needs to recognise the findings of the now-infamous McLaren report on the alleged violations of doping rules during the 2014 Winter Olympics for restoration of membership of its anti-doping agency (RUSADA) with the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA President Craig Reedie said on Monday.

Addressing the Annual WADA Symposium, being held in Lausanne between March 13 and 15, Reedie said the world's governing anti-doping organization hammered out a roadmap for RUSADA's membership reinstatement with WADA and one of the key provisions stated in the document was a requirement for Russia to recognize the findings in the McLaren report, reports Tass news agency.

Less than two years ago, the WADA Independent Commission carried out an investigation of the activities of RUSADA, the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF), the Moscow anti-doping laboratory and the Russian Sports Ministry, and announced the results of the probe on November 9, 2015.

The commission accused certain athletes and sports officials of doping abuse and involvement in other activities related to violations of international regulations on performance enhancing substances. The work of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory and RUSADA was eventually suspended.

Starting in January 2016, control over anti-doping regulations in Russian sports has been exercised by RUSADA strictly under the supervision of the British anti-doping agency (UKAD).

Beginning last year, Russian athletes were constantly under the gun due to numerous doping abuse accusations. The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Independent Commission, chaired by Canadian sports law professor Richard McLaren, conducted an investigation into doping allegations in Russian sports and eventually came up with two parts to the report, the first delivered in July and the second in early December.

Following the first part of the report, which claimed systematic doping abuse and manipulations in Russian sports, the country's track and field and weightlifting teams were banned from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. The whole Russian Paralympic team was also barred from taking part in the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

The second part of the McLaren report confirmed the findings and allegations voiced in the first part, which claimed that Russian state officials and the Federal Security Service (FSB) were involved in doping manipulations, particularly swapping the doping results at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia's Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

--IANS

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