While the focus of the just-released report -- weighing in at more than 300 pages -- centered on track and field athletes and events, WADA has suggested that similar doping violations existed in other amateur sports, including wrestling.
In June 2015, WADA released data it compiled in 2013, covering 115 countries and 89 sports. Russia had the highest number of violations -- 225 across 30 sports, accounting for 11.5% of all violations in the world. In that study, wrestling placed third of all sports in terms of the number of violations committed by Russia, with 32 ... behind track and field with 42 violations, and powerlifting, with 35, the New York Times reported.
By comparison, the United States ranked eleventh in the June 2015 WADA study. The U.S. had 43 violations across all sports, accounting for 2.2% of the world's total violations.
WADA issued its latest report on the Russian doping scandal a week before the organization's executive committee and foundation board meet in Colorado Springs. At that meeting, WADA is expected to consider lifetime suspensions for five Russian track athletes, the stripping of accreditation of the Russian anti-doping lab and suspension of the Russian athletics federation, which has implications to all Olympic-type amateur sports including wrestling for the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The WADA report urged the International Olympic Committee not accept any entries from the Russian athletics federation until that organization has been declared compliant with its rules.
"Timely action" by Russian authorities "should mean that no significant competitions will be missed," said WADA. Failing that, however, Russian wrestlers and other athletes could be kept out of next summer's Olympics.
Dick Pound, founding president of the World Anti-Doping Agency and co-author of the report, said that a potential ban of Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics would be the "nuclear weapon" which could be used against the Russian sports federation. In other words, Russia cleans up its act, or its athletes would not be able to participate at the 2016 Summer Games.
Travis Tygart, who heads up the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said, "If Russia has created an organized scheme of state-supported doping, then they have no business being allowed to compete on the world stage."
"This level of corruption attacks sport at its core," said Richard H. McLaren, a Canadian lawyer and co-author of the report. "Bribes and payoffs don't change actual sporting events," referring to recent scandals involving FIFA, the world federation of soccer. "But doping takes away fair competition."
Wrestling will have a significant place at the table as WADA determines its next steps regarding the Russian doping allegations.
As InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley reported this week , United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic has accepted an appointment to be the IOC representative to the WADA Commission and Foundation Board.
"I'm honored to be involved with WADA," said Lalovic. "The organization does a wonderful job of educating our athletes about how to compete at the international level without the assistance of doping. I trust that I will be able to help further their initiatives and look forward to the work."
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