Rusada: Russian anti-doping agency director 'not optimistic' about reinstatement
- Published
Russia's anti-doping agency was suspended by the world body in 2015 after the McLaren report
Russian anti-doping agency director Yuri Ganus says he is not optimistic about his organisation's chances of being reinstated when the World Anti-Doping Agency meets this month to discuss its progress.
Rusada was suspended in 2015 after its staff were accused of covering up drug use in a report by lawyer Richard McLaren.
It has since undertaken broad reforms in a bid to revamp Russia's anti-doping system and restore international trust in the country's sport.
The meeting of Wada's executive committee takes place on 20 September.
"I don't have any optimism unfortunately - the outlook is negative," said Ganus, who was appointed last year.
For the agency to regain accreditation, Russian authorities must acknowledge the findings of the Wada-commissioned report in which McLaren found more than 1,000 Russian athletes benefited from a state-run scheme to conceal positive tests over a five-year period.
Russia has vehemently denied those allegations.
The authorities must also provide access to urine samples stored at the suspended Moscow anti-doping laboratory.
"No one is going to take away the McLaren reports," added Ganus. "They will stay there as long as we don't deal with them. They will always be in the focus of attention."
He also said that anti-doping violations in Russia have gone up from 59 in 2017 to 113 already this year.