3 weeks ago
Russia’s return to world athletics has been delayed pursuing allegations that its caput of anti-doping was progressive successful covering up supplier trial results astatine nan 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
While nan International Olympic Committee said connected Thursday that athletes from Belarus should now beryllium free to compete nether their ain emblem and anthem, it admitted it still had “concern” complete Russia.
Sources person confirmed that interest relates to precocious reported claims linking Russian anti-doping agency head general, Veronika Loginova, pinch a government-supported doping programme astatine nan Sochi Games.
While not naming Loginova, nan IOC’s president, Kirsty Coventry, said that nan allegations had caused “great concern” and had “led to nan World Anti-Doping Agency looking into a imaginable doping allegation”.
“It is of immense value for maine to do immoderate we tin to guarantee that nan section of play, whenever immoderate athletes are coming backmost to competition, is nan cleanest and fairest section of play that we tin provide,” added Coventry.
The allegations, which were first published successful nan Insider successful April, besides claimed that Loginova’s partner was a personnel of nan Russian information service, nan FSB. Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, location should beryllium nary authorities interference successful a country’s anti-doping programme.
In a statement, Wada said it “noted pinch interest nan contents of an article published by nan Insider that made definite allegations related to nan main executive of Rusada and nan anti-doping strategy successful Russia.
“Wada is taking these allegations very earnestly and instantly alerted its independent Intelligence and Investigations section accordingly,” it added.
In its statement, Wada besides told nan Guardian that since December 2025 it had been looking into “another superior allegation made by a known root against nan aforesaid individual”.
“While Wada will not estimate connected what nan findings of nan latest Russia-related enquiry mightiness be, if nan allegations made either by nan root aliases The Insider article were verified, it would beryllium a origin of important interest for Wada, and further action would beryllium initiated,” it said.
Last period Loginova dismissed nan accusations arsenic “fantasies” and told nan New York Times she was moving connected acquisition programmes during nan 2014 Games.
“I had nary imaginable engagement successful nan anti-doping laboratory’s operations, overmuch little power connected nan postulation of doping samples and their consequent testing,” she said.
Rusada has been approached by nan Guardian for comment.
However, nan IOC’s determination was greeted pinch vexation by Russia’s sports minister, Mikhail Degtyarev
“The Russian Olympic Committee has agelong since provided nan IOC pinch a broad group of documents demonstrating nan elimination of each ineligible grounds for further banning nan ROC,” he said. “Linking nan determination to reinstate nan ROC to immoderate irrelevant matters is unacceptable. The restoration process has intelligibly been delayed, and we spot nary logic for it.”
Meanwhile World Athletics said it would not beryllium welcoming Belarus aliases Russia backmost into nan sporting fold until location was “tangible movement” complete bid negotiations successful Ukraine.
“We each dream this will beryllium soon, but until that happens nan Council continues to beryllium agreed successful opinionated down nan determination it made successful March 2022 and revisited successful 2023 and 2025,” it added.
