Russia to unveil anti-doping reforms in race for Rio 2016 return

 

Russian athletes Ekaterina Poistogova and Mariya Savinova, who came third and first respectively in the women's 800m final at London 2012, were recommended for a lifetime ban in Wada's November report

Russia is to announce a range of reforms designed to restore trust in its scandal-ridden anti-doping agency, BBC Sport has learned.

The country hopes the measures will see its international athletics ban lifted.
All Russian track and field athletes intending to compete in August's Rio Games will undergo a minimum of three independent anti-doping controls.
These will be carried out by the sport's governing body, the IAAF, in addition to existing anti-doping steps.
BBC Sport has learned two independent international experts will also be granted full access to the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada) in Moscow from the end of April.
The experts - nominated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) - will be tasked with ensuring the Russian anti-doping system is free of any interference and is fully independent.
"Russia is implementing all necessary reforms," said Russia's Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko. "We are 100% supportive of Wada's efforts, alongside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and IAAF, to stamp out cheating."
Russia's athletics federation  in November last year after being accused of "state-sponsored" doping.
According to a Wada commission report, the London 2012 Games were "sabotaged" by Russian dopers and the country's security services were involved in the large-scale doping programme.
Moscow lab officials were also found to have been responsible for the "malicious destruction" of 1417 samples, while a follow-up report by the commission found evidence that the cheating was linked to corruption at the highest levels of the IAAF.
Rusada - and its Moscow laboratory - were subsequently found non-compliant with international anti-doping standards and lost their accreditation