12 November 2018

Open Letter to Sir Craig Reedie

Dear President,

As the crucial WADA Foundation Board Meeting approaches, we global athletes wish to relay our frustration following the fact that the decision taken by WADA to reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) despite the unfulfilled Compliance Roadmap means that many doped athletes have still not yet been sanctioned and many officials’ cases still not handled. If the new conditions set of RUSADA to remain compliant are indeed complied with, can you guarantee that WADA will effectively handle these very cases?

I am sure you understand that, if you wish to seek “closure” on the Russian doping crisis, as it seems you do, this is one of the many outstanding issues for which the world’s athletes require answers. Mr. President, we have heard a lot from you attempting to justify that the decision to declare Russia compliant was in the interests of clean athletes.

We know that WADA will have full records on those athletes who have already been sanctioned as a result of the exposure of Russian doping by the McLaren and Pound Reports. We also know that WADA will have a list of those who can be sanctioned as a result of collected data, but who have not yet been charged. We are also aware that hundreds of athletes from many sports were doped by the Russian authorities’ systematic doping programme.

What we, as the world’s athlete community want to know is how many athletes have been sanctioned, who has been sanctioned, and from which sports? Surely, in the interests of transparency, openness and clean sport – three areas for which WADA is currently suffering from a credibility problem – you can provide us with this information?

If WADA is too hesitant, or unable to, publish names, even if names are public already, then a sport-by-sport list of anonymous cases will have to suffice, provided there is transparent reason for it. We look forward to receiving this information from you. We would also like you to tell us why you – as you have quoted in the media – you think more athletes will now be sanctioned as a result of your decision to reinstate Russia? We trust that you can guarantee that this will be the case?

We know that many cheating athletes are, and have been, competing on the world stage even they were part of the Russian doping programme, and that WADA is doing little to remedy that. We also know that many officials, coaches, trainers, advisors and administrators who were engaged or complicit in the doping program, including those in government, remain in office or in positions of authority.

Mr. President, what have you done about these people? Can you tell us, the global athlete community that the decision to render Russia compliant will lead to these people being dealt with appropriately, and if not, why not?

Yours Sincerely,
Emma Coburn
Sebastian Samuelsson

• This Open Letter was sent to Sir Craig Reedie by Emma Coburn and Sebastian Samuelsson on 12 November 2018.

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