Russian athletes to return to competition as WADA lifts doping ban

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Thursday lifted a ban on Russia's anti-doping agency, paving the way for Russian athletes to return to competition across all sports.

"Today, the great majority of WADA's Executive Committee decided to reinstate RUSADA as compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code subject to strict conditions," WADA president Craig Reedie said.

Reedie said the decision "provides a clear timeline by which WADA must be given access to the former Moscow laboratory data and samples".

He said that if the commitment was not met, WADA would reinstate the ban on the Russian anti-doping agency.

The decision was taken at a meeting of WADA's Executive Committee in Victoria, capital of the Indian Ocean island of Seychelles.

The Russian government applauded the decision to lift RUSADA's three-year suspension, saying it was the result of "enormous work" by Russian authorities to improve their procedures.

"We welcome WADA's decision," Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

"Russia confirms its adherence to the principles of clean sports competition," she said.

"Over the past years Russia has done enormous work to create transparent and understandable measures to prevent doping," she said.

She said those measures included criminal prosecution for those who force someone to take banned substances.

- 'Devastating blow' -
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