Swimming's governing body defends anti-doping system after moving Russian samples

FINA responded to fears that the crisis engulfing athletics is not restricted to that sport.

Swimming’s world governing body FINA has defended its anti-doping system amid questioning of the set-up and fears the crisis engulfing athletics is not restricted to that sport.

Following Monday’s publishing of a report by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) independent commission which detailed ”state-sponsored” doping in Russian athletics and high-level cover-ups, a leading swimming coach has voiced his concern about the situation in his sport.

John Leonard, executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, told the Daily Mail he was “absolutely sure” Russian swimmers were involved in the scandal and said it is “completely unrealistic” for a sport to be clean if the governing body oversees anti-doping.

But a statement released by FINA today, expressing its “deep concern” about the commission’s report, said: “FINA undertakes a strong and robust policy in order to optimise the efficacy of our anti-doping strategies; to preserve the validity and integrity of FINA competitions; and to protect the clean athletes in the five continents.”

FINA president Dr Julio C. Maglione said: “FINA upholds a strong and unequivocal stance on the practice of doping as we aim to eradicate doping from aquatics. FINA is committed to do everything necessary to become the world’s cleanest sport.”

One of the key findings of the report published on Monday was that more than 1,400 samples had been “intentionally and maliciously” destroyed by Russian personnel at a WADA-accredited laboratory in Moscow.

It was also suggested that a ’second’ Moscow laboratory existed, the commission saying there was sufficient corroborated evidence to conclude that positive samples were destroyed there and that pre-screened negative samples were sent on to the WADA-accredited facility.

In their statement, FINA outlined its measures in relation to the WADA-accredited Moscow laboratory, including moving from it all the samples collected during the World Championships that took place in Kazan over the summer.

FINA said: “During this event, 645 samples were collected for analysis by the FINA Doping Control Review Board as part of the in-competition testing programme. These comprised 457 urine and 188 blood tests. There were a further 418 blood screenings as part of the Athlete Biological Passport programme.

“These tests were analysed in the WADA-accredited laboratory in Moscow, under the supervision of independent observers from the WADA-accredited laboratories in Barcelona and London.

“Every single sample collected during the World Championships will be transferred and stored in the WADA-accredited laboratory in Barcelona.

“Moreover, all of FINA’s unannounced out-of-competition doping control programme in Russia is conducted by IDTM, an independent Swedish company.

“In the 2014 season the majority of out-of-competition doping control tests had been analysed by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Moscow, which had been judged fully compliant with the WADA code at the time.

“However, following the announcement of the official investigation, FINA made the decision to move the overwhelming majority of the analysis of Russian athletes’ samples out of Russia.

“In 2015, over 80 per cent of the samples collected in Russia were analysed in the WADA-accredited laboratories in Barcelona and Cologne.

“The samples of Russian athletes living or training outside Europe were analysed in the WADA-accredited laboratories in Montreal and Salt Lake City.”

On Monday, the commission made it known its view is “that Russia is not the only country, nor athletics the only sport, facing the problem of orchestrated doping in sport”.

And Leonard said in his Daily Mail interview: “People saying this is not just Russia and not just athletics are 100 per cent correct.

“I am absolutely sure that the Russian swimmers were involved in this system as well as the track-and-field athletes.”

Regarding FINA, he added: “You cannot have the organisations that are charged with promoting the sport also being the people who decide who gets tested and what they get tested for.

“It’s completely unrealistic to have a clean sport when that’s the case.

“We want to know who decides which swimmer gets tested for what banned substances. The fear is that is being done by professionals in the FINA office to cover for star swimmers.”