President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Craig Reedie has announced that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was 90 percent reinstated, adding that "now there's the last 10 percent."
According to Reedie, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has "technically improved hugely" since it was declared non-compliant with the anti-doping code in November 2015. "[As for] roadmap for compliance, there are two issues which haven't been fulfilled… they are continuing to develop their own testing program and are becoming a pretty effective anti-doping organization."
"There was a pretty fair feeling around the table that as far as possible clean athletes should be allowed to take part in international sports competitions," Reedie has stated at a press conference, referring to the discussion of the doping issue in WADA.
When asked about the possible implications of Thursday's decision of WADA on the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Russia, Reedie has stated, "I suspect that the World Cup is a major issue, [and there] will be the analysis of samples that we will have during the FIFA World Cup in Russia may have to be examined and may have to be analyzed in laboratory outside the host country. In the same way that happened in Brazil, for the last World Cup. As we speak, I don't think we have been in touch with FIFA at all, as far as I am concerned."
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Speaking to told R-Sport later in the day, Reedie has stated, "Sports without politics, it's sort of impossible dream because politics affects every aspect of our life. And sports is such an important part of people's life."
The statement comes hours after WADA’s Foundation Board, a 38-member decision-making body, approved the recommendation by the Independent Compliance Review Committee to declare the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) non-compliant with the anti-doping code. The International Olympic Committee said Thursday it was aware of WADA's decision not to reinstate RUSADA, adding that all factors would be taken into account in taking a decision whether Russian athletes would be allowed to take part in 2018 Olympics.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has commented on the decision, saying that it "is not linked to the participation of our team in the Olympics."
"We assume that the RUSADA system is not controlled by the state, it has been partially reinstated, nothing is hampering its work, it works," he added.
Commenting on WADA’s Foundation Board move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated, "We certainly disagree with this decision, we consider it unfair, and we refuted and categorically refute the accusations that doping cases had any kind of state support. This is out of the question."
WADA Declares RUSADA Noncompliant With Anti-Doping Code
In 2015, WADA accused Russia of multiple doping violations and declared RUSADA was not compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. In early August, it published a roadmap to code compliance, with 12 criteria, including public acceptance of the McLaren report, that Russia had to meet before RUSADA can be recommended for reinstatement.
According to Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov, the remaining criteria that prevented the agency from being reinstated were political.
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Most recently, Putin has reaffirmed that there is no state-run doping scheme in Russia and emphasized that the country is working to solve the issues related to atheletes' doping use.
