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Russia doping: New Wada report reveals obstructions to testing
Russian athletes have been banned from competing in international competitions since November 2015
Anti-doping officials in Russia are being stopped from testing athletes and threatened by security services, says a World Anti-Doping Agency report.
The report was published two days before athletics' governing body rules on whether Russian competitors can take part in the Rio Olympics this summer.
In November, Russia's athletes were banned after a Wada report highlighted widespread failing in testing.
The country's athletics chiefs had pledged to make wholesale changes.
What does the Wada report say?
The latest Wada findings include:
It says one athlete was seen running away from the mixed zone after an event, and another left the stadium during a race and could not be located.
Wada also highlighted the case of an athlete who, it says, used a container inserted inside her "presumably containing clean urine".
When she tried to use the container it leaked onto the floor and not into the collection vessel. The athlete is alleged to have tried to bribe the DCO before providing a sample that subsequently returned an adverse finding.
Other examples include:
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said the country could take legal action if its athletics federation is not reinstated to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday.
"It seems to me it is necessary to start treating it from a legal point of view," he was quoted as saying. "I do not rule out that we will do this in the nearest future."
Meanwhile, Russian Olympic medallists and world champions have appealed to the head of the International Olympic Committee to let their athletes with no history of doping compete at Rio 2016.
"The fraud of dishonest people should not jeopardise the career of innocent fellow athletes," said 13 sports stars in a letter to Thomas Bach.
The 13 include Alexander Popov, a four-time Olympic champion swimmer, and judo champion Tagir Khaibulaev.
Russian Alexander Popov won four freestyle swimming Olympic golds
Why are Russian athletes banned?
The IAAF, athletics' governing body, voted to suspend Russia's athletics federation (Araf) on 13 November after an independent Wada report alleged "state-sponsored doping".
The report was commissioned to investigate claims made in a documentary shown by German broadcaster ARD in 2014. The programme alleged widespread doping in Russian athletics - saying as many as 99% had cheated.
The claims were made by whistleblowers including Vitaly Stepanov - a former Russian Anti-Doping Agency official - and his wife Yulia (nee Rusanova), a former 800m runner who was banned for doping.
Russian athletes, including former London Marathon winner Liliya Shobukhova, also admitted to taking drugs and observing corruption.
The Wada report found evidence of state involvement, as well as destruction of samples, interference with doping controls, and payment of bribes to conceal positive tests.
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Dan Roan reports from the discredited Moscow anti-doping laboratory
What happens next?
The IAAF outlined a number of conditions for Russian athletics to meet for the ban to be lifted. In announcing those conditions in November, IAAF president Lord Coe said: "Russia must demonstrate verifiable change across a range of criteria and satisfy our taskforce that those criteria will be met permanently."
He said he wanted to see "verifiable change both in anti-doping practice and culture".
The IAAF's council meets on 17 June in Vienna, where it will discuss what Russian authorities have done to tackle doping - and whether its athletes should be allowed to compete in Rio.
The Olympic athletics programme begins in Brazil on 12 August.
Russia doping: New Wada report reveals obstructions to testing
@ThreeLetterAgency mafia state
- 8 hours ago
- From the sectionOlympics
Russian athletes have been banned from competing in international competitions since November 2015
Anti-doping officials in Russia are being stopped from testing athletes and threatened by security services, says a World Anti-Doping Agency report.
The report was published two days before athletics' governing body rules on whether Russian competitors can take part in the Rio Olympics this summer.
In November, Russia's athletes were banned after a Wada report highlighted widespread failing in testing.
The country's athletics chiefs had pledged to make wholesale changes.
What does the Wada report say?
The latest Wada findings include:
- 73 of 455 tests on athletes could not be collected
- 736 tests were declined or cancelled
- 23 missed tests, which the report described as a "significant amount"
- 52 adverse findings
It says one athlete was seen running away from the mixed zone after an event, and another left the stadium during a race and could not be located.
Wada also highlighted the case of an athlete who, it says, used a container inserted inside her "presumably containing clean urine".
When she tried to use the container it leaked onto the floor and not into the collection vessel. The athlete is alleged to have tried to bribe the DCO before providing a sample that subsequently returned an adverse finding.
Other examples include:
- DCOs intimidated when accessing military cities, and armed federal security agents threatening DCOs with expulsion from the country
- Wada-accredited laboratories reporting sample transportation packages being opened by Russian customs, suggesting interference by officials
- National championships for Olympic sports including Olympic qualifiers held in cities with restricted access due to ongoing civil conflicts resulting in service providers declining test requests. As a result, tests were not carried out at the national weightlifting and national Greco-Roman wrestling championships. In some cases, testers would not be told which city or venue an event was taking place in.
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said the country could take legal action if its athletics federation is not reinstated to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday.
"It seems to me it is necessary to start treating it from a legal point of view," he was quoted as saying. "I do not rule out that we will do this in the nearest future."
Meanwhile, Russian Olympic medallists and world champions have appealed to the head of the International Olympic Committee to let their athletes with no history of doping compete at Rio 2016.
"The fraud of dishonest people should not jeopardise the career of innocent fellow athletes," said 13 sports stars in a letter to Thomas Bach.
The 13 include Alexander Popov, a four-time Olympic champion swimmer, and judo champion Tagir Khaibulaev.
Russian Alexander Popov won four freestyle swimming Olympic golds
Why are Russian athletes banned?
The IAAF, athletics' governing body, voted to suspend Russia's athletics federation (Araf) on 13 November after an independent Wada report alleged "state-sponsored doping".
The report was commissioned to investigate claims made in a documentary shown by German broadcaster ARD in 2014. The programme alleged widespread doping in Russian athletics - saying as many as 99% had cheated.
The claims were made by whistleblowers including Vitaly Stepanov - a former Russian Anti-Doping Agency official - and his wife Yulia (nee Rusanova), a former 800m runner who was banned for doping.
Russian athletes, including former London Marathon winner Liliya Shobukhova, also admitted to taking drugs and observing corruption.
The Wada report found evidence of state involvement, as well as destruction of samples, interference with doping controls, and payment of bribes to conceal positive tests.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Dan Roan reports from the discredited Moscow anti-doping laboratory
What happens next?
The IAAF outlined a number of conditions for Russian athletics to meet for the ban to be lifted. In announcing those conditions in November, IAAF president Lord Coe said: "Russia must demonstrate verifiable change across a range of criteria and satisfy our taskforce that those criteria will be met permanently."
He said he wanted to see "verifiable change both in anti-doping practice and culture".
The IAAF's council meets on 17 June in Vienna, where it will discuss what Russian authorities have done to tackle doping - and whether its athletes should be allowed to compete in Rio.
The Olympic athletics programme begins in Brazil on 12 August.
Russia doping: New Wada report reveals obstructions to testing
@ThreeLetterAgency mafia state
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Euro 2016: Russia summons French ambassador after fan violence
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Media captionSteve Rosenberg reports: "Many Russians see themselves as the victims"
The French ambassador to Moscow has been summoned to the Russian foreign ministry after sharp criticism of policing at the Euro 2016 tournament.
"Further stoking of anti-Russian sentiments... could significantly aggravate the atmosphere in Russian-French relations," the ministry said.
Russia's foreign minister singled out the detention of 43 fans on a bus.
France's embassy insisted that the arrest of Russia fans was "absolutely according to the law".
Meanwhile, four Russians arrested in the French city of Lille are to be deported but a match there between Russia and Slovakia on Wednesday passed off peacefully.
France's crackdown on hooliganism among supporters relates to incidents outside the stadiums.
Uefa, football's European governing body, earlier fined Russia and gave it asuspended disqualification following fan violence inside the stadium in Marseille where Russia played England on Saturday.
The Russian foreign ministry summoned Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert soon after a speech by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the lower house of the Russian parliament in Moscow.
Mr Lavrov suggested Russian fans had been provoked and criticised the way French police were subjecting them to security checks.
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Media captionA French prosecutor says there were around 150 Russian "hooligans" who travelled to Marseille "well-prepared for violence"
"It was an absolutely unacceptable incident when a bus with more than 40 Russian supporters was stopped and [the police] demanded that they leave the bus for document and ID checks," he told the State Duma.
He accused the French of violating international conventions by detaining the fans.
"It is a fact that the French behaved completely contrary to their obligations under the Vienna Convention, and I have already written to the French foreign minister, demanding that he does not allow any more such incidents to occur."
Mr Lavrov did concede that the behaviour of some Russian fans at the tournament had been poor but he added: "We cannot close our eyes to the attempts to ignore the provocative actions of other countries' fans."
In a statement (in French) on its website after Ambassador Ripert's visit to the Russian foreign ministry, the French embassy in Moscow said the French government "remained determined, together with Uefa, to stop troublemakers from ruining the party that is the Euro".
French police blamed 150 "well-trained" Russian hooligans for clashes before England played Russia.
Image copyright@ALEXANDERSHPRYGIN
Image captionFrench police stop a coach carrying Russia fans
The bus carrying 43 fans was stopped in a police operation near Cannes on Tuesday, and some of those Russia supporters are now being deported.
Among them was far-right sympathiser Alexander Shprygin, who heads a Russian football supporters' association.
Five England fans were jailed for throwing bottles at police and a sixth jailed in connection with the violence.
Russia defeat
The match between Russia and Slovakia in Lille on Wednesday ended with the Slovaks winning 2-1.
There was no significant crowd trouble inside the stadium, although a flare was ignited by Russia fans just after their team had scored.
Lille is also being used as a base by supporters of England and Wales, who are due to play in nearby Lens on Thursday.
There are reports of tear gas being fired in Lille on Wednesday afternoon after brief clashes between fans and police, but it is unclear which fans were involved.
The authorities in Lille announced that four Russians would be expelled, two for a scuffle near a railway station, and two who had been found with a baseball bat and a hammer in their car during a vehicle check.
Three other Russians were detained on Wednesday morning, it added.
The French authorities have pledged to increase security in Lens, deploying 2,400 police, gendarmes, security guards and a riot squad.
Drinking alcohol in the streets has also been banned.
Up to 50,000 England fans are expected in Lens despite the fact that all 35,000 tickets had sold out.
Euro 2016: Russia summons French ambassador after fan violence - BBC News
- 9 hours ago
- From the sectionEurope
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionSteve Rosenberg reports: "Many Russians see themselves as the victims"
The French ambassador to Moscow has been summoned to the Russian foreign ministry after sharp criticism of policing at the Euro 2016 tournament.
"Further stoking of anti-Russian sentiments... could significantly aggravate the atmosphere in Russian-French relations," the ministry said.
Russia's foreign minister singled out the detention of 43 fans on a bus.
France's embassy insisted that the arrest of Russia fans was "absolutely according to the law".
Meanwhile, four Russians arrested in the French city of Lille are to be deported but a match there between Russia and Slovakia on Wednesday passed off peacefully.
France's crackdown on hooliganism among supporters relates to incidents outside the stadiums.
Uefa, football's European governing body, earlier fined Russia and gave it asuspended disqualification following fan violence inside the stadium in Marseille where Russia played England on Saturday.
- Russia's controversial fan leader
- Is Russia exporting a new breed of football hooligan?
- Q&A: Who is to blame for the violence?
- What do Russian fans say?
The Russian foreign ministry summoned Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert soon after a speech by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the lower house of the Russian parliament in Moscow.
Mr Lavrov suggested Russian fans had been provoked and criticised the way French police were subjecting them to security checks.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionA French prosecutor says there were around 150 Russian "hooligans" who travelled to Marseille "well-prepared for violence"
"It was an absolutely unacceptable incident when a bus with more than 40 Russian supporters was stopped and [the police] demanded that they leave the bus for document and ID checks," he told the State Duma.
He accused the French of violating international conventions by detaining the fans.
"It is a fact that the French behaved completely contrary to their obligations under the Vienna Convention, and I have already written to the French foreign minister, demanding that he does not allow any more such incidents to occur."
Mr Lavrov did concede that the behaviour of some Russian fans at the tournament had been poor but he added: "We cannot close our eyes to the attempts to ignore the provocative actions of other countries' fans."
In a statement (in French) on its website after Ambassador Ripert's visit to the Russian foreign ministry, the French embassy in Moscow said the French government "remained determined, together with Uefa, to stop troublemakers from ruining the party that is the Euro".
French police blamed 150 "well-trained" Russian hooligans for clashes before England played Russia.
Image captionFrench police stop a coach carrying Russia fans
The bus carrying 43 fans was stopped in a police operation near Cannes on Tuesday, and some of those Russia supporters are now being deported.
Among them was far-right sympathiser Alexander Shprygin, who heads a Russian football supporters' association.
Five England fans were jailed for throwing bottles at police and a sixth jailed in connection with the violence.
Russia defeat
The match between Russia and Slovakia in Lille on Wednesday ended with the Slovaks winning 2-1.
There was no significant crowd trouble inside the stadium, although a flare was ignited by Russia fans just after their team had scored.
Lille is also being used as a base by supporters of England and Wales, who are due to play in nearby Lens on Thursday.
There are reports of tear gas being fired in Lille on Wednesday afternoon after brief clashes between fans and police, but it is unclear which fans were involved.
The authorities in Lille announced that four Russians would be expelled, two for a scuffle near a railway station, and two who had been found with a baseball bat and a hammer in their car during a vehicle check.
Three other Russians were detained on Wednesday morning, it added.
The French authorities have pledged to increase security in Lens, deploying 2,400 police, gendarmes, security guards and a riot squad.
Drinking alcohol in the streets has also been banned.
Up to 50,000 England fans are expected in Lens despite the fact that all 35,000 tickets had sold out.
Euro 2016: Russia summons French ambassador after fan violence - BBC News
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Fast Money & Foreign Objects
US TO RUSSIA: We're staying in the Black Sea
The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter in the Bosphorus on its way to the Black Sea in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 6.REUTERS/Murad Sezer
ABOARD THE USS MASON - The US will maintain its presence in the Black Sea despite a Russian warning that a US destroyer patrolling there undermined regional security, the US Navy secretary said.
The USS Porter entered the Black Sea this month, drawing heavy criticism from Moscow. Turkey and Romania are expected to push for a bigger NATO presence in the Black Sea at the NATO summit in Warsaw next month.
Aboard the USS Mason, another US destroyer, in the Mediterranean on Thursday, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told Reuters it was the US Navy's job to deter aggression and keep sea lanes open.
"We're going to be there," Mabus said of the Black Sea. "We're going to deter. That's the main reason we're there - to deter potential aggression."
Mabus spoke days after Russia criticized NATO discussions about a creating a permanent force in the Black Sea.
"If a decision is made to create a permanent force, of course, it would be destabilizing, because this is not a NATO sea," Russian news agencies quoted senior Foreign Ministry official Andrei Kelin as saying.
Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, has its own Black Sea Fleet based at Sevastopol.
The NATO summit takes place as relations between Russia and the alliance are severely strained over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis and in Syria. While Russia says it poses no threat to alliance, NATO is considering what to do to counter what it sees as growing Russian aggression.
Mabus said the US follows the rules of the Montreux Convention, which says countries without a Black Sea coastline cannot keep their warships there for more than 21 days. The NATO members Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria are all Black Sea Basin countries.
Bulgaria appeared to buckle to Russian pressure on Thursday. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said he would not join a proposed NATO fleet in the Black Sea because it should be a place for vacations and tourists, not war.
Also increasing tensions with Moscow is the US Navy's deployment of two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean ahead the NATO summit as Washington seeks to balance an increase in Russian military activities in the Mediterranean.
"We've been in the Mediterranean continuously for 70 years now, since World War II," Mabus said. "We've been keeping the sea lanes open ... It's what we do."
(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
US TO RUSSIA: We're staying in the Black Sea
- Steve Scherer, Reuters
- 5h
- 22,041
- 59
ABOARD THE USS MASON - The US will maintain its presence in the Black Sea despite a Russian warning that a US destroyer patrolling there undermined regional security, the US Navy secretary said.
The USS Porter entered the Black Sea this month, drawing heavy criticism from Moscow. Turkey and Romania are expected to push for a bigger NATO presence in the Black Sea at the NATO summit in Warsaw next month.
Aboard the USS Mason, another US destroyer, in the Mediterranean on Thursday, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told Reuters it was the US Navy's job to deter aggression and keep sea lanes open.
"We're going to be there," Mabus said of the Black Sea. "We're going to deter. That's the main reason we're there - to deter potential aggression."
Mabus spoke days after Russia criticized NATO discussions about a creating a permanent force in the Black Sea.
"If a decision is made to create a permanent force, of course, it would be destabilizing, because this is not a NATO sea," Russian news agencies quoted senior Foreign Ministry official Andrei Kelin as saying.
Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, has its own Black Sea Fleet based at Sevastopol.
The NATO summit takes place as relations between Russia and the alliance are severely strained over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis and in Syria. While Russia says it poses no threat to alliance, NATO is considering what to do to counter what it sees as growing Russian aggression.
Mabus said the US follows the rules of the Montreux Convention, which says countries without a Black Sea coastline cannot keep their warships there for more than 21 days. The NATO members Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria are all Black Sea Basin countries.
Bulgaria appeared to buckle to Russian pressure on Thursday. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said he would not join a proposed NATO fleet in the Black Sea because it should be a place for vacations and tourists, not war.
Also increasing tensions with Moscow is the US Navy's deployment of two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean ahead the NATO summit as Washington seeks to balance an increase in Russian military activities in the Mediterranean.
"We've been in the Mediterranean continuously for 70 years now, since World War II," Mabus said. "We've been keeping the sea lanes open ... It's what we do."
(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
US TO RUSSIA: We're staying in the Black Sea
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swaggin on 'em.
Obama just running up the score on these nikkas
Putin on "Hey Big-Head" status
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