Russian athletics is still violating the strict criteria laid out by the IAAF and WADA, leaving it at risk of not being reinstated to international competition before the Rio Olympics, claims a German documentary.
Russian athletes face an uphill battle to be allowed to compete at the Rio Olympics from August 5-21 after a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) independent commission alleged widespread corruption and doping in the country's athletics. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) provisionally suspended Russia last November.
The IAAF and WADA outlined a strict reinstatement criteria, including severing ties with Russian athletics officials, officers or staff with any past involvement in doping.
The leadership of Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA - which WADA claimed provided advance notice to athletes about out-of-competition testing - resigned en masse following a pledge by President Vladimir Putin to "do everything" to fight doping. Over four thousand Russian athletes have been banned from international competition and sports authorities are launching reforms and making promises to get the ban lifted in time for Rio.
But a 30-minute documentary by German broadcaster ARD/WDR screened on Sunday, gives new evidence of Russian athletes and coaches violating the strict IAAF and WADA regulations.
According to the German documentary, a suspended coach has been identified continuing to work with athletes in an isolated Russian province, while another named trainer is still distributing doping substances.
The ARD/WDR team claim to have proof Russian athletes were told when they would be drugs tested.