RUSADA gets some testing powers back

The Russian Anti-Doping agency will once again be able to conduct some tests on Russian athletes after its prior ban.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has partly restored drug-testing duties to the Russian anti-doping agency.

RUSADA was suspended in 2015 when its staff was accused of helping to cover up drug use.

After intense negotiations and sweeping personnel changes at the Russian agency, WADA said Tuesday it has now allowed RUSADA to "plan and co-ordinate" drug testing under the supervision of British agency UKAD, which has overseen testing in Russia during the national anti-doping body's suspension.

"Resumption of testing represents an important step forward in rebuilding anti-doping in Russia," WADA president Craig Reedie said.

It wasn't immediately clear how much authority RUSADA would have in choosing which athletes to test, and whether it would be allowed to have custody over any samples before sending them to laboratories abroad.

Russia's only drug-testing laboratory remains suspended after its former director said he switched dirty samples for clean ones to cover up doping.

Earlier Tuesday, an accountancy executive took the place of pole vault great Yelena Isinbayeva as RUSADA chair. Alexander Ivlev, who heads financial services firm EY's Russia operations, was elected Tuesday to chair the RUSADA supervisory board.

Isinbayeva had first been appointed as chair in December, which angered WADA because of her persistent criticism of probes into Russian doping.


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Source: AAP



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