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Polish WADA head vows tough stance on Russia

08.11.2019 15:00
The new Polish head of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has vowed to get tough on Russia if the country is found guilty of manipulating the doping-related data of its athletes.
WADA President-elect Witold Bańka at a conference in Katowice, southern Poland.
WADA President-elect Witold Bańka at a conference in Katowice, southern Poland.PAP/Andrzej Grygiel

“I am waiting for the results … of analyses regarding Russia. If we discover some manipulations, the reaction should be tough,” Witold Bańka was cited as saying on Thursday by Polish state news agency PAP.

Russia has been subject to a number of investigations and sanctions for the past five years.

The country’s anti-doping watchdog was eventually suspended in 2015 after a WADA report was published which showed that some of Russia's athletes were using illegal substances to boost their performance, according to the news agency.

WADA lifted the suspension last year only to find the data provided by Russia to be inconsistent and opened a new investigation, PAP reported.

Bańka was on Thursday officially confirmed as the next head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at a conference in the southern Polish city of Katowice.

The Pole, 35, is set to take over as the organisation’s new head effective January 1.

The former 400-metres runner-turned-politician was in 2017 appointed a member of the executive committee of the international sports doping watchdog.

In January he won a key vote by a committee within the Council of Europe to become Europe’s candidate to succeed outgoing WADA President Craig Reedie.

The World Anti-Doping Agency was established in 1999 as an international, independent organisation funded by sports bodies and governments.

(jh/pk)

Source: PAP