MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Sports Ministry announced on Friday it would withdraw its representation from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) starting on Saturday to ensure transparency of the anti-doping watchdog.
"In order to make the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) more independent and transparent, the Sports Ministry will withdraw tomorrow from the organization’s membership. The Sports Ministry expresses its full commitment to the ideal of fair sport and its confidence that RUSADA, which is not influenced by any administrative leverage, will soon restore its full functionality," the ministry’s press service said.
In early September, Vitaly Smirnov, the Russian independent anti-doping commission chief, said that RUSADA would replace the board of founders and, perhaps, the board of directors. He also added that the new Russian anti-doping agency would receive independent funding without intermediaries.
