WADA seeks public hearing for Russia case

The World Anti-Doping Agency wants a rare public hearing for sport's highest court to judge a four-year slate of punishments faced by Russia for persistent cheating.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport is preparing a hearing expected within weeks for the blockbuster case in Switzerland.

RUSADA is formally challenging a WADA ruling in December to declare it non-compliant after key data from the Moscow testing laboratory was corrupted.Credit:Getty Images

"It is WADA's view – and that of many of our stakeholders – that this dispute at CAS should be held in a public forum to ensure that everybody understands the process and hears the arguments," the Montreal-based agency's director general Olivier Niggli said in a statement.

Urged on by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA is formally challenging a WADA ruling in December to declare it non-compliant after key data from the Moscow testing laboratory was corrupted.

The CAS panel of three judges will have power to enforce WADA-recommended sanctions including a ban on Russia's team name, flag and anthem at Olympic Games and world championships.

WADA also wants Russian athletes to compete as neutrals at the Olympics and major events only if they pass a vetting process which examines their history of drug testing and possible involvement in lab cover-ups of positive tests.

CAS hearings can be opened to media and public observers in some cases when both parties consent.

The court held its first public hearing for 20 years in November when WADA appealed a ruling by swimming's world body not to ban China's three-time Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang for alleged doping rule violations.

Evidence was heard over almost 10 hours in a lakeside hotel ballroom at Montreux, Switzerland, with media attending and proceedings streamed live on the court's website and a verdict is expected this month.

However, it is unclear if the WADA vs Russia case fits the limited scope of CAS cases that can be heard in public.

The Sun Yang case is a more traditional appeal in a disciplinary case involving a single athlete while the latest Russian case is an arbitration dispute between two institutions.

AP

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