• The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has announced that Sona Poghosyan has been provisionally suspended after returning an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for GHRP-2. The Armenian took bronze in the women’s 75kg category at the 2017 European Weightlifting Championships, which took place in April last year. The IWF also announced that Oleksandr Pielieshenko has been provisionally suspended after returning an AAF for chlorthalidone. The Ukrainian took gold in the -85kg category at the 2016 European Championships.  It is understood that the two AAFs did not result from tests at the 2018 European Weightlifting Championships, which has recently taken place in Bucharest, as both Armenia and Ukraine were prohibited from competing.

• The sudden withdrawal of 36 athletes from the Siberian Indoor Championships in Irkutsk and the participation of 13 Russians in the Open Baltic Masters were cited by the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) as the two main reasons that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) did not restore its membership last month. In January, 36 athletes withdrew from the Siberian Indoors after anti-doping testers arrived and, as reported by The Sports Integrity Initiative, 13 Russians competed in the Open Baltic Masters in violation of their ban from international competition.

• Anti-Doping Switzerland collected 3,416 samples from 2,546 doping controls during 2017, the agency announced. This was almost identical to 2016, where it collected 3,269 samples from 2,465 doping controls. Of the 3,416 samples, 2,443 involved urine (1,469 out of competition, and 974 in competition) and 973 blood (925 out of competition). Anti-Doping Switzerland’s Disciplinary Chamber made 15 decision during 2017, and 467 administrative law decisions were made involving seizure and destruction of doping products.

• The Compliance Review Committee (CRC) of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has received a Progress Report regarding the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) implementation of WADA’s Roadmap to Compliance, which would enable it to be declared compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. The Sports Integrity Initiative has asked WADA for a copy of the Report. WADA also publicised a list of its upcoming compliance audits.

• UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) announced that it had fallen victim to a cyber attack. It said that no data had been lost or compromised.