Sports Minister Grant Robertson slams WADA for reinstating Russians

  • 21/09/2018
Sports Minister Grant Robertson.
Sports Minister Grant Robertson. Photo credit: Supplied

Sports Minister Grant Robertson is "extremely disappointed" with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decision to lift the ban on Russia's anti-doping authority (RUSADA).

RUSADA was suspended in November 2015, after an independent WADA report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren outlined massive state-backed, systematic doping in Russian athletics.

The allegations, which Moscow denied, led to Russia being banned from this year's Winter Olympics in South Korea, with some Russian athletes permitted to compete under the Olympic flag.

The reinstatement allows Russia to bid for world sporting events and for the country’s track and field team to be declared compliant by that sport's international governing body.

New Zealand currently represents Oceania as a member of the WADA executive committee and along with Norway, it voted against the recommendation that RUSADA be reinstated.

"I have heard from many New Zealand athletes how strongly they feel about having a clean environment to compete in," Robertson said.

"I need to be able to look them in the eye and tell them that we have a system that ensures this is the case. Wada's decision makes it extremely difficult for me to do that.

"We will continue to work within WADA to ensure the highest standards are met."

Former WADA director general David Howman was saddened by the news.

"It's a pretty depressing decision," the Kiwi told Mark Sainsbury on RadioLIVE. "[It's] pretty disappointing for clean athletes.

"WADA stands for clean athletes and yet in this hour of need, they really should’ve stood up for them."

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