WADA chief calls for ADAMS security improvements to fend off cyber attacks

The World Anti-Doping Agencys (WADA) global doping control database requires extra protection from possible cyber intrusion, WADA President Craig Reedie said on Monday.

Addressing the Annual WADA Symposium, being held in Lausanne between March 13 and 15, Reedie said the organisation continued its work on the security improvements of its database ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration & Management System) following last year's attacks from the allegedly Russia-based anonymous group of hackers Fancybears, reports Tass news agency.

The WADA chief called for speedy decisions regarding the security improvement of the database to withstand all efforts aimed to discredit the system.

Last September, an anonymous group of hackers came up with information on their Fancybears.net website about hacking personal medical histories of athletes from the United States and the drugs they were prescribed in recent years, which were on WADA's restricted list.

The group announced the hacking of the database of ADAMS and leaked documents proving that WADA found an official loophole to sanction the use of banned performance enhancing drugs under the TUE system.

It was revealed that the TUE system was extensively used by US legendary tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams, US four-time Olympic champion in gymnastics Simone Biles, as well as North American women's basketball player Elena Dolle Donne.

Official sources later confirmed that athletes at the issue were officially allowed to take banned performance enhancing drugs due to their health restrictions under WADA's official permission called as the Therapeutic Usage Exemption.

--IANS

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