Russian Participation in German Anti-Doping Inquiry Unlikely

(ATR) Around the Rings has learned that neither Alexander Zhukov nor Yelena Isinbayeva is expected to testify in an upcoming anti-doping hearing at the German Bundestag.

On April 26 the Bundestag Sports Committee will hold a public hearing entitled "Consequences to be drawn from the McLaren Report."

So far, IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper, author of the McLaren report Dr. Richard McLaren, Benjamin Cohen, WADA European Regional Office and International Federations Relations Director, Andrea Gotzmann, chairwoman of the German Anti-Doping Agency, and journalist Hajo Seppelt, are confirmed to testify. Additional invitations were extended to Vladimir Grinin, the Russian Ambassador to Germany, Alexander Zhukov, the President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and Yelena Isinbayeva, the chair of the board of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

A source close to Zhukov and Isinbayeva told ATR that both "got [the invitations] but they don't plan to take part in this event". No reasons were given for the pair’s decision, although it should be noted the IOC has yet to present rulings on evidence found from the McLaren report.

Zhukov in the past has spoken about the need for an independent World Anti-Doping Agency as well as the reinstatement of RUSADA. Isinbayeva was installed as a member of the RUSADA board yesterday, having been appointed by the ROC according to TASS. Isinbayeva was denied the chance to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympics after the Russian track and field team was barred from competing by the International Association of Athletics Federations. After the Games she was elected to the IOC athletes commission.

Bundestag Sports Committee chairwoman Dagmar Freitag told ATR that the hearing was called because of a "large gap between the [rhetoric] and the concrete implementation of measures to restore and protect the integrity of sport." Of note, this will be the first time McLaren appears before a government inquiry since his second report was released in December. McLaren is scheduled to speak at the WADA symposium in Lausanne, taking place on Mar. 13-15.

"Both [of McLaren’s] reports are of tremendous interest as they uncovered a broad range of offenses against the integrity of sport," Freitag said. "I am looking forward to discussing the findings and further consequences and steps which undoubtedly have to be undertaken."

De Kepper’s testimony in Berlin will come two months after he circulated a letter saying "it will clearly take some time" for the two IOC commissions to produce rulings during investigations of the McLaren report’s findings. Denis Oswald, head of the commission investigating doping manipulation at the Sochi 2014 Games, previously told ATR results may not come until "weeks" before PyeongChang 2018.

A similar hearing to the one in April was held on Feb. 28 by a United States House of Representatives subcommittee. Lawmakers pressed representatives from the IOC and WADA about institutional reforms to the world anti-doping framework. After the hearing, U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce investigations subcommittee chair Tim Murphy told ATR he believed that the testimony served its purpose to "facilitate and shine a bright light" on the current system and actors.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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