Top sports and government officials of the World Anti-Doping Agency have rejected the appeals of Russia’s sports minister and refused to recognize the nation as compliant with the global antidoping code, imperiling Russia’s participation in major competitions just three months before the start of the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
At a meeting in Seoul on Thursday — late Wednesday night Eastern Time — the regulator’s 38-member foundation board chose not to restore Russia’s antidoping agency to good standing. Endorsing the recent recommendation of a compliance review committee, the regulator’s board ruled that the nation still had not fulfilled several requirements following revelations of widespread, state-sponsored cheating.