The number speaks volumes. According to Witold Banka, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), no less than 181 Russian athletes have been sanctioned based on data obtained from the analysis of samples from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory. The former Polish athlete explained this on Tuesday, March 14, at the annual WADA Symposium in Lausanne. He said that the work continues and that the investigation remains very “fruitful“. Also according to Witold Banka, the samples from the Russian laboratory have also convicted 88 other athletes, while 212 cases are under investigation. “An excellent result to keep the sport clean“, insisted the WADA president. Regarding the short-term future of the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA), whose two-year suspension ended last December, Witold Banka assured that there was no question yet of reinstating it. It “will remain non-compliant until it meets all the conditions for reinstatement set by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and we are able to verify this, he explained on Tuesday 14 March in Lausanne. We will continue to follow the process and verify it. I must admit that confidence in the (Russian) anti-doping system is still very low.“
