WADA closes 'most successful' investigation into Russian lab with 302 doping sanctions
The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed the investigation into seized data from a Moscow lab in 2019 has concluded, with more than 300 sanctions recorded.
Russian competitors in weightlifting (107) and athletics (93) were cited the most, with 291 athletes sanctioned and 302 violations imposed.
Eleven athletes have received multiple violations, while four cases have not been resolved.
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"Put simply, Operation Lims is the most successful investigation in anti-doping history," said WADA president Witold Banka.
The investigation was opened when WADA's executive committee voted to reinstate Russia in September 2018, albeit with a number of conditions.
At the time the move was labelled as "the greatest treachery against clean athletes in Olympic history" but WADA confirmed that agreement led to the retrieval of 24 terabytes of data from the Moscow lab.
WADA President Witold Banka. Getty
"The decision taken in 2018 to reinstate Rusada under strict conditions - despite opposition from a vocal minority of critics - was made precisely in order to get to the truth and formed part of a sophisticated investigative strategy," Banka added.
"Without that decision, we would never have been able to obtain the critical evidence from the Moscow laboratory needed to prosecute these cases.
"I am pleased to say that history has shown this approach to be effective and that the entire process has been a remarkable success in ensuring fairness for athletes around the world."
During the probe WADA found some of the data had been manipulated, which ultimately led to Russia being handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events in 2019.
The doping ban ended in 2023, however, Russian teams and competitors were banned following the invasion of Ukraine by multiple international sporting bodies.
Recently, Russia's athletes have been allowed to compete under their flag for some organisations.
