The Russians have long been aware that time is not on their side in their campaign to regain their place in the Olympic movement. Proof of this came at the end of last week, when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Executive Committee and Foundation Board met in Montreal. Questioned at a press conference, WADA Director General Olivier Niggli explained that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his suspension would not be dealt with in the coming weeks. “The case has been submitted to CAS and will be examined in the next 6 to 12 months”, he explained, quoted by the TASS agency. As a reminder, WADA announced on September 22 that RUSADA did not comply with the World Anti-Doping Code. Less than a month later, the Russian agency’s Director General, Veronika Loginova, announced that she would be contesting the decision.
