WADA moves important Executive Committee meeting from Paris to Lausanne

Due to strike action in Paris, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has decided to move next week's crucial Executive Committee meeting to Lausanne.

The December 9 Lausanne meeting is expected to see WADA chiefs approve a recommendation by the body’s Compliance Review Committee concerning Russia.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has said that it had moved next week’s crucial Executive Committee meeting from Paris to Lausanne because of fears of disruption caused by strike action in the French capital. WADA confirmed the venue switch to Switzerland in a brief statement on Monday.

“WADA has taken the decision to relocate (the meeting) to Lausanne due to likely disruptions and uncertainty caused by imminent general strike action in Paris,” WADA said.

The December 9 meeting is expected to see WADA chiefs approve a recommendation by the body’s Compliance Review Committee concerning Russia. The WADA compliance panel has called for Russia to be banned from sporting competitions for four years after accusing Moscow of falsifying laboratory data handed over to investigators earlier this year.

Under the proposed sanctions, Russian athletes would still be allowed to compete at the Olympics next year but only if they can demonstrate that they were not part of the Russian system.

Full disclosure of data from the Moscow laboratory was a key condition of Russia’s controversial reinstatement by WADA in September 2018. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) had been suspended for nearly three years previously over revelations of a vast state-supported doping program.