World Anti-Doping Agency and thus risking its definitive exclusion from the Rio 2016
Olympic Games. That is the finding of investigations by the German ARD/WDR
network’s doping research team led by the award-winning author Hajo Seppelt.
Titled “Doping Top Secret: Russia’s Red Herrings”, the 30-minute long
third part of his series of documentaries about the doping system in Russia will be
broadcast on Sunday at 22.05 CET in the WDR’s weekly programme sport inside.
The German broadcaster presents numerous examples in audio and video form about
the violations of the regulations of IAAF and WADA.
The two previous documentaries by Hajo Seppelt and the ARD/WDR doping
research team had led in November 2015 to the IAAF suspending Russia’s athletes
indefinitely from all international competitions. Russia’s sports leadership vowed to
make improvements and promised fundamental reforms. “Mere lip service”, insists
Seppelt.
“Suspended coaches continue to coach deep in the Russian provinces as if
nothing had happened. Other coaches are still active drug dealers,” says an ARD press
release. “And, according to documents in the possession of ARD/WDR, a newlyelected
leading official of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency RUSADA, has in the past
informed athletes about dates for doping tests, as the documents seen by the
ARD/WDR Doping research team prove.”
“When an official intentionally informs athletes in advance of doping tests, in
order to defeat the doping control, disciplinary consequences must follow. This must
be investigated, and a consequence would be that this person is fired,” Joseph de
Pencier chairman of the International Association of National Anti-Doping
Organizations (INADO) is quoted as saying by ARD. Pencier is reportedly appalled
about the research of the ARD/WDR-Doping research team and requests clarity about
Russia: “We are very sceptical. According to current knowledge, Russian athletes
should not be allowed to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games”.
Germany’s top athletics official, Clemens Prokop, also has lost patience.
“Apparently, the situation as it has been called into question by the WADA
Independent Commission, has not substantially changed,” says the President of the
German DLV athletics federation (DLV), adding bluntly: This can only mean that the
conditions for the Olympic participation of Russian athletes is not satisfied.”
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.