Already on Monday we filed an appeal to Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne for Alexander LEGKOV and requested to proceed in expedited manner. The aim is still the cancellation of the provisional suspension. Yesterday we submitted detailed reasons. The appeal for Evgeniy Belov will follow. In addition to the deficiencies of the legal procedure which are explained prior, the appeal points out that the athlete provided since 2010 more than 150 Doping tests which were all clean. Most of these samples were analyzed not in Moscow but in European laboratories. Alexander LEGKOV delivered in the period prior to the Olympic Games Sochi 2014 from 1 January 2014 until his arriving in Sochi on 5 February 2014 not less than 13 samples from which not less than 12 samples were tested clean not in Moscow and not in Sochi but in Lausanne, Dresden and Cologne without any chance to be tampered. He delivered within the period of the Olympic Games three urine samples, the last one two days prior to the sample in dispute, on 21 February 2014, which were clean without any indication for tampering. That makes it completely impossible that the Alexander LEGKOV used the “cocktail” prior or within the Olympic Games. In addition the appeal deals with the question that WADA has had first time at least 2013 reason for the suspicion that positive tests from the laboratory in Moscow are reported to WADA as negative and that the reason for this system is corruption. Thus, WADA considered to withdraw the accreditation of the laboratory in Moscow. This is known in public since the initial documentary from Hajo Seppelt was aired on 3 December 2014 in which the scientific director of WADA, Olivier Rabin, was interviewed. However, Dr. Gregory Rodchenkov, suspected of being corrupt, was appointed by WADA to the director of the Doping laboratory in Sochi for the Olympic Games 2014. Without this appointment Dr. Rodchenkov, could not – according to his self-incrimination, tampered just one sample. It doesn´t matter to a single athlete whether the sample tampering system in Sochi which is described by the McLaren report is true or not. There is still no conclusive evidence of his immediate and active participation not even that he could have a benefit. It appears that athletes are made scapegoats but the real problems are somewhere else.
In addition to the lack of the rule of law of procedure, which we have discussed earlier, the appeal indicates again expressly, that since 2010 by Alexander Legkov, almost 150 samples were taken, all negative were tested. Alone in the period from January 1, 2014 until his arrival in Sochi on 5 February 2014 no fewer than 13 samples are taken, of which alone 12 not in Moscow but in Lausanne, Dresden and Cologne negative were tested without any possibility of manipulation.
Also in Sochi, Alexander Legkov delivered two more negatively tested samples, of which nobody claims they were rigged.
These tests rule out that Alexander Legkov prepared itself – so the claim – by using the “cocktails” of anabolic steroids on the Olympic Games has or has used in this cocktail during the games.
Also the vocation grapples with the question, that the WADA 2013 already knew, that positive tests as negative on the WADA are reported in the laboratory in Moscow and that the cause was probably corruption. WADA already threatened withdrawal of accreditation of the laboratory in Moscow ahead of the Olympics. This is since the documentary film by Hajo Seppelt known, an appropriate interview resides broadcast on the 3.12.2014 in the ARD “doping – such as Russia its winner is classified” with WADA, Olivier Rabin, Scientific Director.
Nevertheless, WADA appointed the Director of the laboratory in Moscow, Dr. Rodchenkov suspected of corruption and manipulation, also to the head of the laboratory in Sochi 2014. Without this appointment Dr. Rodchenkov would have to manipulate – so his self accusation today – not a single sample in Sochi.
From the perspective of the individual athlete, it doesn’t matter whether the description of the manipulation system in Sochi by the McLaren report is correct or not. There is but – doping Panel – no convincing evidence of an imminent or active participation of an individual athlete even after the recognition of the FIS, not even that he would benefit from.
Done so, it seems as if the athletes were scapegoats, the real problems are elsewhere.