Russia and the problem of doping - this has occupied the sports world for years now, and there are many indications that this will continue for a while. The World Anti-Doping Agency advises these weeks on how Wada wants to treat Russia in the future.
In the process explosive data from the Moscow Antidoping Laboratory plays an essential role - and the question of whether these data were actually systematically manipulated before they were passed on to the Wada. If that was really the case and the Russian side has no plausible explanation for it, then the federation threatens new bad luck.
What is currently in the doping complex around Russia - here are the most important information.
Are athletes from Russia still locked - and why?
The Wada decided last September despite massive criticism to resume the Russian anti-doping laboratory after three years of suspension in their circle again. This is actually an important prerequisite for the participation of Russian athletes in major events such as Olympic Games or World Championships met. The lock had been previously pronounced according to the findings of the McLaren report, which has certified nationwide doping.
However, the individual trade associations have the freedom to decide for themselves whether or not Russia will become a full member again. Thus, the World Athletics Federation IAAF has recently decided to uphold the ban against Russia for the World Cup in Doha. In the title fights, only 30 Russian athletes participated, which had to compete under a neutral flag and without a Russian hymn.
Also the Biathlon world federation IBU wants to make Russia again from 2020 again to the full member. The IAAF justifies its decision by stating that it has not yet fulfilled the conditions that Russia has to uphold and can refer to the current allegations against the Russian anti-doping laboratory.
What are the new allegations against Russia?
Already in July, the suspicion became public, Russia had manipulated data from its anti-doping laboratory before they were forwarded to the Wada. The release of the data is one of the main conditions that Russia should fulfill in order to be allowed to return to the sports world. After much back and forth Russia had delivered the data late. However, they should have been partially falsified.
Pavel Golovkin AP
Rusada General Director Yuri Ganus speaks openly
What is particularly interesting: The allegations of data falsification are not only from abroad, they are also raised by the new Director General of the Russian Antidoping Authority Rusada, Yuri Ganus. According to SPIEGEL, Ganus said that data had been manipulated in January 2019 - at a time when Russia had long promised to be vigorous against doping.
There are also reports that there were cyber attacks against several sports and anti-doping federations immediately before the initiation of the case against the Rusada. This was done by the hacker group Strontium, also known as Fancy Bear. Fancy Bear is said to be close to Russian intelligence. The group had previously hacked data from US doping labs, and also published names of prominent US athletes who had applied for derogations to take performance-enhancing drugs in their home country.
What could threaten the Russian Federation and the athletes?
The Wada had given Russia a three-week deadline in late September to clarify, or at least explain, the new allegations. This deadline is long gone, but the Wada still has time to evaluate the whole process. Actually, they wanted to make a recommendation at the end of October, how to deal with the Russian sport in the future. Now this has been postponed to December. It is still in the process of examining the Russian answers to the corresponding questionnaire, they say.
Ganus himself expects that Russia will also have to watch the revelations at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo (summer) and 2022 in Beijing (winter). He says that "the crisis will take several more years". Russia had already been excluded from the games in Rio 2016 and had missed the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang. As with the World Championships in Athletics, individual athletes participated as neutral athletes.
What do the officials say, how does the policy behave?
The advance of Ganus is also surprising, because before had been bricked and reassured by official Russian side. In the days of the notorious Minister of Sport Witali Mutko, the international allegations were regularly rejected and countered with counterproductions, his successor Pawel Kolobkow has now at least promised specialists would review the possible data manipulation.
Fabrice Coffrini AFP
IOC boss Thomas Bach obviously looking for a solution
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently spoken on the subject. He assured that they cooperate "actively with the Wada", their "requirements are met in full". Whereby Putin has given such assurances more often - without that much has happened. Thus, Ganus criticized this week in Germany radio for a lack of support in the investigation of the doping scandal by the Russian policy.
What is the position of the IOC?
IOC President Thomas Bach has always been on a defensive line with regard to sanctions against Russian sport. Even with the current allegations, the German has responded withdrawn. Whether Russia should take part in the summer games in Tokyo, was the decision of the Wada and the International Court of Justice Cas. "We trust the Wada, it is in their hands," said Bach on the edge of the Turn World Cup in Stuttgart.
Bach has always avoided the strict confrontation with the sport-politically influential Russia in his term, he could have imagined in 2018 that Russia would have been present again at the closing ceremony of the Winter Games in Korea with hymn and flag. However, after then just two Russian athletes were caught up during the games as a doping sinner, this option was really no longer available.