The World Anti-Doping Agency is in hot water today, thanks to a report from The New York Times revealing the agency was made aware of widespread Russian doping back in 2012, yet did nothing to stop it.
Back in December 2012, roughly four months after the conclusion of the London Olympics, a female Russian discus thrower named Darya Pishchalnikova emailed the agency to notify them she took banned substances at the direction of Russian sport officials. She also told WADA she had information that would prove the doping was more than just an individual case, that it was systemic throughout her country.
This was not just a case of an email lost in the shuffle either.
But WADA, the global regulator of doping in Olympic sports, did not begin an inquiry, even though a staff lawyer circulated the message to three top officials, calling the accusations “relatively precise,” including names and facts.
Even more troubling, not only did WADA do nothing to stop the doping, it alerted Russian officials to Pishchalnikova’s claims. Something that could potentially put her in harm’s way.
The story goes on to highlight the growing distrust of the agency by athletes and officials across the globe. It reveals an organization hamstrung by its own internal politics, so much so that it could not fulfill its sole purpose.
Dr. Ljungqvist, vice president of WADA from 2008 to 2013, said he repeatedly raised concerns about Russia. The agency considered penalties against the nation, but in the end, he said, the inherent conflicts of interests within WADA and the Olympic movement won: The matter was set aside because “it was too politically infected,” he said.
The smoke around the Russian athletic programs eventually became to much to ignore. WADA finally recommended barring the nation’s track and field team from international competition last November. The global governing track and field body is expected to determine if the country can compete in the upcoming Olympic Games on Friday.
You can read the rest of the Times’ findings from its investigation into WADA here.
[The New York Times; Photo Credit: The Telegraph]
