WADA suspends Russian anti-doping agency

Russia’s anti-doping agency (RUSADA) was suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), raising the possibility of Russian track stars being barred from the Olympics if the country does not fall back into line with accepted international rules. WADA’s foundation board unanimously passed a recommendation from a committee on Wednesday which found RUSADA non-compliant with the global body’s charter. The decision had been anticipated following a damning report by a WADA independent panel which uncovered a state-sponsored doping program in Russia. RUSADA had been heavily implicated in the scandal and was accused of destroying samples requested for analysis by WADA.