Discussions about the return of Russian athletes Russia and doping - the lingering problem
In the heated discussions about the reintegration of Russian athletes into world sport, the war takes centre stage. Doping issues hardly play a role - although huge mistrust remains.
At some point, after endless remarks about the supposedly sensible and justified reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes into world sport, Thomas Bach also talked about doping. Like everyone else, of course, "every single neutral athlete would have to comply with all anti-doping regulations", said the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Bach's terse remarks during the press conference following the IOC Executive Board meeting in Lausanne at the end of March were striking. In the midst of heated discussions about the return of Russian athletes in the light of the brutal war of aggression in Ukraine, the perennial issue of state doping and its consequences has become a side note. And this despite the fact that the sporting superpower Russia has been - and still is - one huge nuisance for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in recent years.
"Trust remains very low"
"I have to say the confidence in the independence of the Russian anti-doping system remains very low," says WADA President Witold Banka. Four months after the formal end of the ban, WADA has still not declared the Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA compliant. The lack of this official status alone could prevent the unrestricted participation of Russian athletes in major sporting events. And this is completely separate to the sanctions that have been imposed (and are currently being softened again) because of the war of aggression.
A look at the extent of Russia's cheating since the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi justifies skepticism. There were the steroid cocktails of doping mastermind Grigory Rodchenkov, the exchange of urine samples through a secret flap in the wall, according to the investigation report "directed, controlled and monitored" by the secret service and the sports ministry. Despite overwhelming evidence, Russia reacted with endless denials, disinformation campaigns and further audacity such as the mass manipulation of control data from the Moscow laboratory.
Valieva case angers WADA
The latest affront is now also likely to contribute to the fact that RUSADA is still "non-compliant": the handling of the doping case of figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva. During the Winter Games in Beijing 2022, the positive sample of the then 15-year-old and her shady support network surrounding coach Eteri Tutberidze was a defining issue.
RUSADA initially dragged out the case and then summarily acquitted popular heroine Valieva. "The way the case was handled is not encouraging," says WADA boss Banka. The Russian side had "nurtured mistrust".
Together with the International Testing Agency (ITA), which organises doping controls in 24 of the 32 Olympic summer sports, WADA is trying to maintain a comprehensible and viable anti-doping system in Russia even after the war of aggression began. This is a mammoth task, but according to the institutions, it is by and large a success. In 2022, the ITA conducted a similar number of training controls in Russia and Belarus (943) as in the previous year (1055). So much for the bare figures.
Tests in Russia a logistical nightmare
But tests, especially in remote areas of the giant empire, are complicated and expensive. A process which involves transporting samples to laboratories abroad - within Russia such facilities remain internationally non-compliant - is a logistical nightmare. An insider expressed doubts to the ARD doping editorial team that the complex system is actually safe from manipulation. Manipulations like the ones the Russians have repeatedly used in anti-doping in the past years with great effort and remarkable criminal energy.
"At some point you become completely stupid"
The suspicion that Russia faces on doping issues is still widespread even among athletes. Fencer Lea Krüger could "definitely" imagine that "there was doping in Russia last year". In an interview with ARD, she adds: "There was too much reason for that in the past, that my trust in the Russian anti-doping system was weakened."
Krüger, a member of the executive committee of Athletes organization “Athleten Deutschland”, faces special challenges as a fencer. The world federation responsible for her, FIE, which is strongly under Russian influence, has already decided on the reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes. For Lea Krüger, the situation is so stressful that she ignores all doping doubts out of pure self-protection. Her statement makes it clear how problematic the return of Russian athletes to world sport is in view of the war and anti-doping issues: "If I go into a competition now and start adding concerns about doping, on top of the whole political situation - I think at some point you just become completely mad."