World anti-doping boss on golfing holiday as Russia athletes miss deadline

As three WADA staff arrived in Russia on Wednesday, Sky News understands the agency’s president, Sir Craig Reedie, was on a golfing holiday in California.

WADA is attempting to extract data from the former Moscow laboratory which was the nerve centre of the country’s doping programme after Russia missed an initial deadline to send the data on 31 December 2018.

Russia was controversially welcomed back into the international fold by WADA in September, against the wishes of many athletes.

The three-year suspension for covering up state-sponsored doping was lifted with the provision that they would provide full data from the old Moscow laboratory by 31 December.

Sir Craig said at the time it was “inconceivable” that Russia would fail to meet that deadline, but 2019 has arrived with no sign of the promised information.

However, with his organisation in the spotlight over how they are dealing with the evolving scandal and his own position being called into question, Sky News understands he has chosen to stay in California on holiday.

Olympic champion cyclist Callum Skinner, who is a member of WADA’s own athlete committee, was heavily critical of the timing of his fellow Scotsman’s holiday.

“I really hope that Craig Reedie has been giving recent events his upmost attention,” he told Sky News.

“This is the most crucial time in WADA’s history. While sometimes we all deserve a holiday it’s been alleged that Craig Reedie is taking his annual golfing holiday in California.

“If that is true it’s deeply inappropriate.

“If I were Craig Reedie and I had staked my entire career on giving a 100% guarantee on an outcome that didn’t occur I’d be doing everything I can to make it right.

“All parties in this saga deserve better. We are talking about athletes’ health, victims who have ended up in witness protection and the preservation of clean sport.

“WADA aren’t on the putting green, Reedie is stuck in the bunker.”

Earlier this week, Sir Craig said: “We are continuing to act on the basis of the 31 December deadline having been missed, with all the consequences that failure could bring.”

The WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will meet on Monday in Montreal to assess the Russian data, provided it can be retrieved from Moscow.

It is unknown when Sir Craig will return from his holiday in the US to his home in Scotland or WADA’s headquarters in Canada.

There is still no date set for a meeting of WADA’s executive committee, which will decide if Russia is to face sanctions for missing the deadline for supplying the data.

A WADA spokeswoman said: “Sir Craig is not based at WADA headquarters in Montreal and normally conducts WADA business from his home in Scotland.

“He is currently in the US where he continues to work remotely, as he does year-round. He remains every bit as connected as always and continues to provide ongoing advice, direction and leadership on the ever-changing and challenging Russia situation.

“Despite the role of WADA president being entirely voluntary, Sir Craig is available 24-hours a day, as he has been since the beginning of his presidency.”

Source: Read Full Article