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WADA defends timing of McLaren Investigation Report

Xinhua, August 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said they took timely investigation into Russia doping once they had concrete evidence, pushing aside criticism from International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach.

On Tuesday, Bach again placed blame on WADA for failing to act sooner on evidence of state manipulation in doping tests in Russia following his criticism in Sunday's news conference.

WADA, however, rejected Bach's blame.

"WADA understands that the timing of the McLaren Investigation Report has been destabilizing for a number of organizations as they prepare for the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, WADA wishes to factually clarify that the Agency acted immediately on allegations concerning Russia when it had corroborated evidence and the power to do so under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code)," WADA said in a statement on Monday.

When German-based ARD released its first documentary in December 2014, WADA initiated its Independent Commission led by former WADA president Richard Pound.

On Nov. 9, 2015, the Pound Commission made public a report revealing wide-spread doping in Russian athletics.

"While our Independent Commission's Report suggested that doping in Russia was likely not restricted to athletics, and that the Russian secret services (FSB) were present within the Sochi and Moscow laboratories, the Commission did not uncover concrete evidence to the effect that the Russian state was manipulating the doping control process," said Pound. "The Pound Commission leveraged all information that the whistleblowers had provided; and yet, there was no concrete evidence to support State manipulation."

WADA did not get concrete evidence until CBS 60 Minutes and the New York Times released their interviews with former director of the Moscow and Sochi laboratories Grigory Rodchenkov in May this year, WADA said.

"It was only when CBS 60 Minutes and the New York Times, on 8 and 12 May 2016 respectively, published the allegations from the former director of the Moscow and Sochi laboratories, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, that WADA had concrete evidence suggesting Russian state involvement that could be investigated by initiating the McLaren Investigation, which we did immediately," said WADA president Craig Reedie.

"This decision was endorsed by WADA's Executive Committee and WADA's Athlete Committee," he continued. "It must be understood that Dr. Rodchenkov was heard several times by the Pound Commission in 2015; and that, he never provided the information that he later revealed to the New York Times in May 2016. This information was subsequently corroborated by the McLaren Investigation, which also unveiled a wider implication of the Moscow laboratory."

WADA published the independent McLaren Investigation Report on July 18, which said Russian State manipulated the doping control process and recommended that the IOC bans Russia entirely from the Rio Olympic Games.

The IOC refused to hand a blanket ban on Russia and instead opted to leave it up to individual sports to allow or bar Russian athletes. About 100 Russian athletes have been denied access to the Rio Games. Endit