Olympic champion Beckie Scott resigned from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) committee which recommended ending Russia’s drug suspension on Saturday as the global watchdog defended its handling of the case.
Scott, one of six members of WADA’s compliance review committee, stepped down a day after it emerged the panel had given a green light for the sanction against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to be lifted at a board meeting in the Seychelles on September 20.
Criticism
WADA’s disclosure of the committee’s decision on Friday drew criticism from athletes and other testing bodies who claim Russian authorities have not met set benchmarks necessary for readmission.
The WADA decision also came after a leaked document earlier this week which showed that the committee had initially recommended leaving the ban in place at next week’s meeting.
Scott’s resignation, which was reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC, appears to highlight tensions within WADA over the decision.
Scott will retain her role as the head of WADA’s athletes’ committee, reports said.
The RUSADA has been suspended by WADA since 2015, when the global agency revealed a vast, Russian state-supported doping scandal to cheat at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and for years beforehand.
WADA’s apparent U-turn on Friday was condemned by US Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart.
“Frankly, it stinks to high heaven,” Tygart said, demanding WADA release all relevant correspondence regarding the issue.
