Yelena Isinbayeva, photo by PhotoRun.net
MONTREAL (CAN): Insidethegames writes that pole vault World record holder Yelena Isinbayeva will be forced to stand down from her position as chair of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on May 31 as part of criteria laid out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it was announced. It is nothing against Isinbayeva directly but WADA have urged RUSADA to ensure there is an independent chairperson and to install a conflict of interest policy as part of four “immediate requirements” previously established as part of their path to recompliance. In an update presented to the WADA Foundation Board, deputy director general Rob Koehler confirmed these had been accepted by RUSADA. The rule regarding access to Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) samples has already been met, while RUSADA is also in the process of opening up the “closed cities” to doping control officers. Once RUSADA has adhered to these four regulations, they will be permitted to resume testing, Koehler said. WADA anticipate part of this could happen at a RUSADA meeting on May 31. Wites insidethegames.
