Russia has been late in the corona curve and only reported 1,036 infected. To prevent dissemination, the authorities are now taking tough action. Next week is completely unemployed and all cafes, restaurants, nightclubs and shops that are not socially beneficial have been closed down. Grocery stores and pharmacies are allowed to stay open.
"Of course, we are following the order that the Russian government has ordered," says anti-doping chief of Rusada, Yuri Ganus according to Reuters.
According to colleague Margarita Pakhnotskaja, the testing-free period will extend to at least April 6.
Outside the reach of the anti-doping authorities, perhaps in some cases for months, it may happen that some athletes, not only in Russia, feel tempted to increase their medal chances with the help of performance-enhancing funds, against the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
The warning: "We will catch you"But if they do, they will get stuck, warns Wada chairman Witold Banka.
- They are not athletes. If you cheat, we'll catch you. It is perfectly safe. We will reveal you, says the Wada chairman.
- If you want to take advantage of the situation to cheat, we will catch you and we will turn you off from sports.
In the absence of a doping test, Wada has to rely on other weapons in its anti-doping arsenal, such as the athletes' biological passports, long-term analyzes and investigations.
- It is good that Russia as a nation is turned off but that those who show that they are clean are allowed to compete and give them the chance internationally, even if it is under a neutral flag. Russia needs to clear out at the leadership level, the culture that sits in the walls, and do the tests required and make sure the active ones are clean, says former Olympic champion Stefan Holm, who is in the IOC, to SVT Sport.