© Copyright – 2018 – Athletics Illustrated

The Dec. 31 deadline for the World Anti-Doping Agency to be given access to the Moscow Laboratory and its Laboratory Information Systems (LIMS) has passed. WADA has yet to get into the controversial lab to extract the data from LIMS as agreed to in the process of Russia being reinstated to the Olympic Games. Therefore they are non-compliant.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach doesn’t seem to care; he wants Russia reinstated for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics regardless. His resolve on Russia’s behalf begs the question, what’s in it for him?

Access was denied despite WADA president Sir Craig Reedie claims to have had a written guarantee granting access from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to the lab and its information system.

RUSADA is non-compliant and should continue to be sanctioned from international sport. If rules and guidelines were meant to be broken, then we have chaos. Russia was so chaotic with their anti-doping program that their testing laboratory in Moscow was apparently central to the Russian doping crisis.

The value of the information contained in the LIMS must, therefore, be very revealing. What are they afraid of?

Additionally, WADA had changed the wording of the final two requirements that Russia needed to accomplish to be reinstated. Negotiating with a nation that operates on a basis of disingenuousness is playing Russian Roulette.

For the sake of the clean athletes throughout the world, WADA must take authority and enact the agreement made at the time of the sanction and re-sanction Russia. Otherwise reinstating Russia will set a precedent of impotence by the so-called authority and chaos will ensue.