SYDNEY. – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is still monitoring testing operations in Russia ahead of the decision on whether to reinstate the country, despite complications caused by the Ukraine war, president Witold Banka said on Tuesday.
The existing two-year ban from international sport imposed by WADA on Russia for widespread, state-sponsored infringements of doping regulations expires at the end of the year.
Some Russians have continued to compete internationally as “neutral” athletes, including at the last two Olympic Games, but the isolation of the country after the start of the war further complicated the process of ensuring doping compliance.
Banka, who reiterated WADA’s condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”, said the organization was still able to monitor the work of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).
