Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Athletes Disappear From Competition After Doping Agency Arrives

Kalser kalser-ru / Youtube

More than 30 Russian athletes withdrew from a tournament in Siberia over the weekend after the unannounced arrival of anti-doping officials. 

Russia has a checkered history with the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs by its athletes, a legacy of the Soviet Union backed by historical evidence and testing records. The country’s team was banned last month from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics over allegations of a state-run doping scheme at the 2014 Games in Sochi.

A total of 36 Russian athletes suddenly dropped out from a regional athletics competition in the Siberian city of Irkutsk after Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) officials arrived for an inspection, the Championat.com sports website reported Wednesday. 

Dmitry Shlyakhtin, the President of Russia’s Athletics Federation, said he was “not surprised” by the disappearance of so many athletes.

“We requested for doping-control officers to appear as often as possible at regional athletics competitions,” he was cited as saying by the state-run TASS news agency on Wednesday.  

“We took this step because we know that there are many problems at the lower level.” 

The Championat website listed 11 adults and 25 youth athletes under the age of 23 as either declining to participate or appearing with sick notes during the Jan. 13-14 contest. 

“The list of athletes who failed to participate will be passed to RUSADA, which has the right to strengthen inspections of these athletes,” Shlyakhtin said. 

“Our suspicion that the doping situation is not spot-free in all regions has increased even more.”

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more