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Doping scandal in Russian sports

RUSADA reports 108 suspected cases of anti-doping rules’ violations in 2020

The national doping regulator had to halt athletes’ testing for banned substances from late March to mid-June due to the coronavirus pandemic

© Mikhail Japaridze/TASS

MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) registered 108 suspected violations of anti-doping regulations by national athletes, including nine cases last month, the agency’s press office announced to TASS on Thursday.

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"The agency registered nine cases of suspected anti-doping rules’ violations in December, 12 cases in November and 16 cases in October," the press service stated adding that the overall figure of the suspected violations in 2020 reached 108.

In 2019, RUSADA carried out 9,743 doping inspections collecting 11,316 samples, which exceeded the agency’s earlier announced annual target of 11,000 samples. The agency reported 202 suspected cases of the anti-doping rules violations last year, while the figure stood at 146 in 2018.

On March 27, RUSADA announced its decision to halt athletes’ testing for banned substances for a one-week period. The decision followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that the week between March 30 and April 3 would be non-working with salary preserved. On April 2, Putin extended the paid non-work period across Russia until April 30 in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 and RUSADA extended the suspension of athletes’ testing until May.

In early June, former Director General of RUSADA Yury Ganus told TASS that the agency was set to restart its work based on the international testing standards, requirements of safety provision for medical personnel and the most recent recommendations of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding the work during the coronavirus pandemic.

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