FIVB confirmed this month that it received from WADA the names of Russian athletes implicated in reports of a state-sponsored doping program in Russia that covered up positive anti-doping tests.
Inside The Games reports that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) provided a list of the names of around 300 Russian athletes to various international sporting federations. The athletes are thought to have failed doping tests that were covered up and officially reported as negative tests over a three-plus year span from April 2012 to September 2015.
Russia has been accused of a litany of anti-doping rules violations over the past year or so, most notably in the McLaren Reports, which detailed a state-sponsored program that allegedly swapped out athlete urine samples for different samples that would pass anti-doping tests. Russian athletes had to undergo a more detailed eligibility process to be able to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Russia has been officially banned, with cleared Russian athletes allowed to compete under the Olympic banner.
Inside The Games reports that WADA provided its list to FIVB, the international volleyball federation, along with federations for swimming (FINA) and soccer (FIFA), among others. FIVB provided this statement to Russian news service TASS regarding the list of names:
“If necessary, we will act in accordance with the medical and anti-doping regulations of the FIVB. The International Volleyball Federation pursues a policy of zero tolerance in matters of doping. It is 100 per cent committed to protecting clean athletes.”
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