UKAD Athletes' Committee calls for Russian Anti-Doping to be declared non-compliant

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The UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) Athletes' Committee has issued a statement calling on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to declare the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) non-compliant immediately after it missed the deadline to provide WADA with data from the Moscow Laboratory.

After being banned in 2015 over allegations surrounding state-sponsored doping, RUSADA was reinstated in September on the condition that they allow access to the Moscow Laboratory on December 31. However, they were turned away and WADA confirmed on Tuesday that the deadline to hand over the requested information had passed.

The UKAD Athletes' Committee, which is chaired by former rower Sarah Winckless and counts track cyclist Callum Skinner among its members, was vocal in its condemnation of the decision to reinstate RUSADA in the first place. In response to the latest news, it asked WADA president Craig Reedie and Director General Olivier Niggli "to show leadership and take responsibility for WADA's decision making.

"We call on WADA to do what is right by the athletes, their families, their fans and their sport," the statement said. “It is now 1 January, 2019, and unfortunately the Russian Government has clearly not fulfilled its promise. In a public statement the WADA President Sir Craig Reedie '100 per cent' guaranteed that the Russian government would comply with WADA's compromised terms. These terms have not been met."

Russian sport has been embroiled in a scandal since 2014 when a documentary alleging systematic doping in the country's athletics programme aired on German television channel ARD. Another documentary aired eight months later, and WADA subsequently suspended RUSADA. A report by law professor Richard McLaren accused the country of state-sponsored doping. In May 2018, WADA contacted RUSADA to try and find a compromise that could put an end to the ban, eventually lifting it in September.

The statement continued by saying that the Russian State must prove that it had learned from the debacle and should be declared non-compliant until such time as it had supplied WADA with the previously requested data.

"The Russian State need to prove unequivocally that they have learned from the biggest doping scandal under WADA's watch, and that they will for this date forward be committed to a drug free, transparent regime across international sport," it said.

"Otherwise the WADA Compliance Review Committee and the WADA Executive Committee must now immediately, declare RUSADA non-compliant. They should only consider a declaration of compliance once WADA has received and verified the electronic data as well as access to all the samples in the Moscow Laboratory.

"WADA's leadership has the opportunity to stand up for the interests of athletes, their families, their fans and their sport. To create a global level playing field where talent and hard applied work are rewarded fairly. We trust that those we look to for leadership will demonstrate their resolve and commitment to clean sport.

"In the name of sport, it is time to do what is right."