“Does not correspond to the conclusions of experts”: the IOC declared the authenticity of Rodchenkov's signatures in the case of Russian biathletes

Representatives of the International Olympic Committee sent an explanation to the Sports Arbitration Court in Lausanne (CAS) regarding fake electronic signatures on documents in the case of Russian biathletes Olga Zaitseva, Olga Vilukhina and Yana Romanova. In a notarized statement, the ex-head of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov confirmed the authenticity of his testimony.

Thus, the IOC refuted the conclusions made by Russian and British computer forensics experts that seven of the nine key documents on the basis of which the athletes were convicted contained the signatures of another person. This opinion was provided to CAS by their lawyer Alexei Panich.

Moreover, earlier information appeared that the IOC recognized the falsification of documents. However, Panich explained that the organization only provided new statements by Rodchenkov. They say that he gave permission to use his electronic signature.

“But this statement does not correspond to the conclusions of experts who established that another person tried to copy his signature on seven of the nine documents, that is, the electronic signature was not used there. Moreover, experts doubt the authenticity of Rodchenkov’s electronic signatures, ”Panich quotes TASS.

In this regard, the plaintiff continues to insist on the falsification of documents and their removal from the case.

The court accepted the statements of both parties, and now it remains to be seen how weighty the argument is Rodchenkov’s testimony. Despite the refutation of the IOC, Panich hoped that the process would end in favor of Zaitseva, Vilukhina and Romanova, as other weighty evidence of their innocence was provided at CAS.

This statement is also supported by the fact that earlier the arbitration court granted in whole or in part 39 appeals of Russians on cases of anti-doping rule violation at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. Recall that a total of 43 athletes received a lifelong disqualification following an investigation conducted by the Denis Oswald commission.

Rodchenkov currently lives in the United States under a witness protection program. His statements regarding the doping scandal surrounding Russian sports are still appearing in the media, but there is an opinion that understudies make these statements, since his true fate is unknown. In this regard, the story of the possible forgery of IOC documents again raised many questions.

The Honorary President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Leonid Tyagachev suggested that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) informant is not alive at all, and people who benefit from denigrating the reputation of Russian sports are speaking on his behalf.

“The last time we saw him in the film“ Icarus ”(documentary of 2017. - RT ), but it is not clear when the director had a conversation with the WADA informant. After that, he appeared in public in some sort of mask, and recently all statements were made through his lawyer. Some kind of pun. If CAS really wants to understand this matter, then the arbitrators need to see Rodchenkov alive to make sure all of his testimonies. At least by video connection, but better personally, ”Tyagachev told Izvestia.

At the same time, the general director of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), Yuri Ganus, suggested that Rodchenko may not be behind the IOC forgery of signatures, since it is not beneficial for international organizations to question the purity of their reputation.

“For me, this is a very strange story. I'm at a loss. I do not think that the IOC has anything to do with it. According to all the rules, at the beginning the WADA unit or other anti-doping structures conduct an investigation and, according to established facts, transfer materials either to international federations or to the Olympic Committee, ”RBC quotes Ganus as saying.

Recognizing the findings of cybersecurity experts as fair will have a significant impact on the affairs of other athletes allegedly caught doping. In particular, the latest accusation of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) against Yevgeny Ustyugov and Svetlana Sleptsova, in whose samples illegal drugs were found, may be called into question.

“I understand that the affairs of absolutely all Russian biathletes are based on the same Rodchenkov’s fakes. I don’t understand how the IBU can blame someone on the basis of fakes. At the same time, when they examined my case, I demanded that the ex-head of the Moscow laboratory personally testify against me, but was refused, ”Ustyugov said.