November 16, 2018 – Although the World Anti-Doping Agency conditionally reinstated the Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA back in September, a new report in Reuters indicates that some concerns have arisen. One of the conditions of reinstatement is the inspection of Moscow laboratories implicated in the Russian doping scandal, but according to the Reuters report the head of RUSADA is concerned that authorities in Moscow will prevent that from happening before the deadline of Dec. 31 to provide access and urine samples sealed in the laboratory.

Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov agreed to the condition, which if not met, would result in RUSADA once again being suspended. According the WADA, president Sir Craig Reedie confirmed that a delegation was scheduled to visit the Moscow laboratory on Nov. 28. WADA’s move to reinstate RUSADA has been widely criticized.

First to sound the alarm was Beckie Scott, Canadian Olympic gold medalist, when she resigned from WADA’s Compliance Review Committee on Sept. 14. Despite the controversy, WADA was quoted in the article as stating that a Dec. 31 deadline for access to the Moscow laboratory samples “remains firm.”

According to the Reuters report, RUSADA has claimed that it does not have control over the urine samples in question, which are in the hands of Russian federal investigators conducting their own doping investigation.

“Our position has not changed and the Russian authorities are in contact with us in relation to them fulfilling the conditions of RUSADA’s reinstatement by that date,” WADA wrote to Reuters in an email.

As a result of the doping scandal, many Russian athletes were banned from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics and other international competitions.