Russia’s anti-doping agency may get another suspension ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, after a report found it messed with testing data it handed over to the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Russia was reinstated after it turned over data on athlete’s drug use at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and other events to WADA in January. The information was expected to help WADA file doping charges against hundreds of Russian athletes who were involved in a four-year conspiracy to mask drug use at international competitions.
But with the Tokyo Olympics less than eight months away, the Associated Press said the data may have been manipulated before it was turned over to WADA, citing an unnamed source who had access to a report that will be presented at a meeting Monday in Tokyo. Track and field’s governing body, the IAAF, is also expected to review the information next week.
If Russia’s anti-doping agency is again suspended, the Tokyo Games may be the third Olympics gathering tainted by the drug scandal. Russia’s Olympic Committee was reinstated after the Winter Games in South Korea last year, and its athletes are expected to compete in Tokyo. The AP said if it’s confirmed the doping data was doctored, that could have long-term repercussions for Russian athletes in international competition.
