The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) welcomes decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday in relation to nine cases brought by the AIU against Russian Athletes. The decisions confirm Anti-Doping Rule Violations for all nine Russian athletes in connection with the findings of the WADA-commissioned reports of Professor Richard H. McLaren and the related Evidentiary Disclosure Packages (EDP).
Five athletes had previously been found guilty of Anti-Doping Rule Violations in cases brought by the AIU before CAS acting as a First Instance Tribunal and had appealed those decisions to the CAS Appeals Division. The CAS Panel upheld the athlete’s Anti-Doping Rule Violation in each appeal and, in one case, upheld the 4-year sanction. In the other four appeals, the 4-year sanction issued at First Instance was partially reduced based on the panel’s overall assessment of the aggravating circumstances of each case.
- Lyukman Adams (4 years from 1 February 2019)
- Ekaterina Galitskaia (3 years from 1 February 2019)
- Ivan Ukhov (2 years and 9 months from 1 February 2019)
- Svetlana Shkolina (2 years and 9 months from 1 February 2019)
- Yuliya Kondakova (2 years and 9 months from 1 February 2019)
A further four athletes were found guilty of Anti-Doping Rule Violations in proceedings before CAS acting as a First Instance Tribunal and each athlete was sanctioned for a period of 4 or 8 years:
- Natalya Antyukh (4 years from 7 April 2021)
- Andrey Silnov (4 years from 7 April 2021)
- Oksana Kondratyeva (4 years from 7 April 2021)
- Yelena Soboleva (8 years from 7 April 2021 – 2nd Anti-Doping Rule Violation)
Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU, said: “Yesterday’s CAS rulings confirm once again that the evidence underlying the McLaren Reports is reliable and is capable of establishing Anti-Doping Rule Violations for use of prohibited substances. The AIU has dedicated significant time and resources investigating and prosecuting these cases both at first instance and on appeal and, encouraged by these rulings, it will continue to investigate and bring forward new cases based on the McLaren evidence.”
The AIU will publish further detail regarding the decisions and sanctions in due course, once the athletes have exercised their right to comment on any editorial changes in the decisions. The First Instance CAS decisions, which were adjudicated by a Sole Arbitrator, are subject to appeal to a three-person Panel of the CAS Appeals Division.
NOTE: The following 13 athletes were previously sanctioned in cases brought by the AIU based on McLaren evidence (suspensions in brackets):
- Anna PYATKH (4 years from 15 December 2016).
- Lyukman ADAMS (4 years starting from 31 January 2019)
- Tatyana Lysenko BELOBORODOVA (8 years starting from 2 July 2016)
- Mariya BESPALOVA (Currently suspended since 26 October 2015)
- Anna BULGAKOVA (4 years starting from 29 March 2017)
- Tatyana FIROVA (4 years starting from 9 June 2016)
- Yekaterina GALITSKAIA (4 years starting from 1 February 2019)
- Vera GANEEVA (2 years starting from 2 July 2018)
- Gulfiya Agafanova KHANAFEEVA (8 years starting from 6 January 2017)
- Yuliya KONDAKOVA (4 years starting from 1 February 2019)
- Svetlana SHKOLINA (4 years starting from 1 February 2019)
- Ivan UKHOV (4 years starting from 1 February 2019)
- Ivan YUSHKOV (4 years starting from 2 July 2016)