Russian Athletics Federation wants to compete again, but Russian Anti-Doping Agency reports 239 positives in 2025

© Copyright – 2025 – Athletics Illustrated

The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) and Russian President Vladimir Putin desperately want to compete internationally again. Russia has been under some form of suspension since 2016, starting with the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited (WADA) lab in Moscow, followed by full-scale bans. Since then, the country has been banned for its war in Ukraine.

Unfortunately, for its cause, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) report that in the nine months of 2025, 239 total cases of doping-related offences have been recorded.

It was reported in the Russian news agency TASS that in September, there were 24 cases.

Monthly breakdown of 2025

January: 25
February: 18
March: 21
April: 34
May: 23
June: 27
July: 47
August: 21
September:24

“The agency reported earlier that RUSADA’s inspectors reported 282 and 242 cases of violations by its athletes over the availability for testing rule in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The overall figure for the year 2022 is 375.

"A 13-year-old Russian ski mountaineer has been disqualified for six months for doping." https://t.co/fz3TJhjPvK (in Russian)

— Hilary Evans (@OlympicStatman) October 3, 2025

WADA had formed an inspection committee that was thwarted from getting into the ADAMS computer system (Anti-Doping Administration & Management System), several times. Once the team did gain access, they found the data had been manipulated.

“An athlete can be suspended from tournaments and training camps if the availability rule is breached three times.

“In line with the Code of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the All-Russia Anti-Doping Regulations, athletes on the registered testing pool must provide detailed information about their whereabouts via the ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration & Management System) and ensure their availability for doping test procedures.”

So, it is anyone’s guess as to the sheer volume of athletes who were doped or required to dope. Some assuming every athlete.

Doping bans

WADA recommended Russia be declared non-compliant in 2016 and 2019. The nation was to be banned from hosting sporting events for four years.

WADA banned Russia from major international sporting events for four years, on charges of tampering with doping-related reports.

Russia was barred from hosting, participating in, or establishing bids for international sporting events during this period. WADA allowed cleared Russian competitors to compete neutrally, but not under the Russian flag. This affects Russia’s co-hosting of UEFA Euro 2020, as WADA does not recognize UEFA as a “major event organization” covered by the ban. Regarding the sanctions, WADA president Craig Reedie said that “For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport.”

He added, “Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and rejoin the global anti-doping community for the good of its competitors and of the integrity of sport, but it chose instead to continue in its stance of deception and denial”. Russia appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and lost.

Subsequent suspensions have been given for the war in Ukraine. Former IOC president Thomas Bach repeatedly defended Russia waiving off the war by comparing it to 28 other battles happening in the world at the same time. Bach had changed his opinion back and forth about Russia’s suspension several times.

Annual rule violations leading up to the ban

There have been at least 43 revoked medals, including 12 Golds, 20 Silvers, and 11 Bronzes. This does not include other medals stripped from Russian-associated Olympic teams. By 2021, the total number of stripped medals increased to 51.