Sporting World Braces for Final McLaren Report

(ATR) The sporting world is readying itself to act on the new findings from Professor Richard McLaren’s report on Russia’s state-sponsored doping system.

Russian sport authorities and international actors remain in limbo, waiting for the new results found by World Anti-Doping Agency independent investigator McLaren. Without the true extent of findings in his report, international actors have struggled to reintegrate Russia into the sporting world. The Olympic family is also prepared for the potential need of further sanctions against Russia.

"I cannot speculate on the situation and results," Thomas Bach, IOC president, said today. "I think we have already shown our reaction on how we will deal with this report."

During the final IOC Executive Board meeting in 2016, the group extended the current sanctioning of Russian. The IOC "will not organize or give patronage" to any international sporting event in Russia. In addition, the IOC has urged the seven winter sports federations to avoid staging competitions in Russia.

Two IOC commissions have been set up to investigate the findings presented by McLaren. One, now chaired by former Swiss president Samuel Schmid, is serving as an Inquiry commission into allegations of Russian state officials aiding the doping system. The other, chaired by IOC member Denis Oswald, is serving as a disciplinary commission re-analyzing samples from the Sochi 2014 Olympics.

"As soon as we have the [McLaren] report, it will be handed to the two commissions who have already made preparatory work," Bach said. "There is a wide range of possibilities and then it is in the hands of the two commissions. But the commissions have to go beyond the report of McLaren with his cooperation."

In addition, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) remains suspended by WADA, and the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) is currently suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Both WADA and the IAAF will review the findings from the second McLaren report while working to reintegrate Russia.

The IAAF task force working with ARAF says there is currently no timeline for lifting the suspension of the federation. Until ARAF’s suspension is lifted, no Russian athlete can compete in an international athletics competition. Among the requirements for the reinstatement of ARAF are a functioning RUSADA and compliance with the WADA code.

WADA continues to work with RUSADA and Russian authorities to get the country in line with the body’s code. At the recent WADA Foundation Board meeting, some members were surprised with the rhetoric IOC member from Russia Vitaly Smirnov used to describe the situation. Smirnov denied that Russia has a state-sponsored doping system, saying the entire anti-doping community must "fight this evil together."

Robin Koehler, the WADA official in charge of monitoring Russia’s progress, said at the Foundation Board meeting that the country is making progress to meet the WADA code but problems remain. Koehler said anti-doping officials still have issues getting physical access to athletes and previous anti-doping tests.

Bach says, in his opinion, the report could lead to revisiting the 2007 Osaka rule, which prevented athletes suspended for over six months from participating in the next edition of the Olympic Games. The rule was struck down by the Court for Arbitration of Sport in 2011.

"Clearly, for me, if an athlete or an official would be part of such a system, I would not like to see this person again at any Olympic Games in any official capacity," Bach said. "This for me would present such aggravating circumstances that the logical consequence would be a life ban and an exclusion from the Olympics for life."

Written by Aaron Bauer

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.

What's the world's best sport city? Vote here!