Update 3/16: a spokesperson for the Rutgers swimming & diving program declined to answer specific questions, but said that the school was “working alongside the Big Ten in reviewing the matter between Liza Ryndych and RUSADA.”
Original reporting is below:
Russian swimmer Elizaveta Ryndych (sometimes anglicized as Liza Ryndich) has been suspended for 2 years by the Russian Anti-Doping Association (RUSADA). RUSADA provided limited details about the reasons behind her suspension, but cited section 4.4 of the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules. That section references the section related to Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs).
TUEs allow athletes to take certain banned substances when it is medically necessary, and are common among international athletes. RUSADA itself can only provide TUEs for the national level; outside of that, it would be up to the international governing body (FINA) to issue them.
While neither RUSADA nor Rutgers has responded to a request for more information about Ryndych’s case, a typical case involving the citation of section 4.4 would mean that an athlete failed to obtain proper TUE paperwork for a substance that was prescribed legitimately by a doctor and deemed medically necessary.
The suspension is dated back to June 11, 2021.
Ryndych recently completed her freshman season at Rutgers University in the United States. At the Big Ten Championships in February, she placed 62nd in the 50 free (23.91), 45th in the 100 free (51.14), and 37th in the 100 fly (57.96). Her best time in the 100 fly came at the mid-season Princeton Big Al Invitational, where she swam 57.00.
The NCAA is not a WADA signatory, so doping suspensions based on WADA rules do not necessarily impact NCAA eligibility. The NCAA has its own testing program and protocols, though the presence of a banned substance and/or metabolite is still done by WADA-accredited laboratories.
Ryndych is currently one of three Russian swimmers listed on the Rutgers roster.
Russia is currently under sanction from WADA for its coverup of anti-doping rules violations and for limiting access to data and laboratories by WADA investigators.
Ryndych is Russia’s first announced anti-doping rules violation among swimmers for 2022.
Suspended by Russian anti-doping
Lmfao
Interesting, would the US government change their immigration policy toward foreign students from Russia. If the reviewing the current visas is not that simple and maybe costly then what about new ones. Or our progressive schools are for the global diversity if it backed by good money?
It’s easy to forget sometimes that Russia even *has* an anti-doping association quite honestly.
Caeleb Dressel will certainly help her with that TUE paperwork.
joke explained pls
A few years back, the Russian hacking group known as “Fancy Bear” hacked the doping databases and started revealing all of the TUEs that Americans had. I believe it showed 8 for Dressel. They published for lots of Olympic athletes, notably Simone Biles and Serena Williams too. Nobody would ever really verify the info, but Biles basically confirmed that it was accurate, and WADA confirmed that there was a hack of the TUE system.
This has long been a Russian counter-punch to accusations that they dope: that the Americans and other western nations “dope” by abusing the TUE system. They’re probably not wrong, though I don’t think the abuse is limited to Americans or that any one athlete can be… Read more »
wait, Dressel is taking 8 exempt banned substances? No wonder he’s so fast
We don’t know what he’s taking now. Nobody has confirmed the list they put out. And just because you have a TUE, doesn’t mean you’re taking a substance.
WADA keeps this data close to their chest, but there was some info released after Sochi that a Winter Olympic medalist was more likely to have asthma than not. So, a lot of athletes from large nations have TUEs.
Have you not met Caleb Dressel? That kid is ADHD to the max. He doesn’t need the meds to go fast. He needs them to know what stroke to swim when he dives in.
Wow I didn’t know this. Although he doesn’t do anything wrong thechnically, 8 TUEs are a little suspicious.
Does anyone know which 8 substances he had TUEs for? Interest amount….
Jon Macol needs to go!
Explain?
I don’t know the Ryndych’s story and if she was really pursuing swimming career or it was just the way for her to be admitted to American college and to spend years living in USA and if she got a scholarship or paid her own money for tuition.
I don’t know. But if she is indeed for swimming then this punishment is almost nothing. She has already been a half way through it without any training and competition restrictions and the remaining year won’t hurt her chances in the current Olympic cycle if she has them.
If that is about money for college then there is a true story. The classmate of my son was a good high… Read more »
I’m having trouble following this story and the takeaway.
I think the takeaway is the ol’ blinde-eye and nod some coaches can give to practices that they know are illegal, but can plausibly deny.
Sorry, I have nothing more to add to this story. That is all I know besides the real names and places. But I don’t exclude the possibility that the usage of prohibited substances by this girl who is actually nobody was not motivated by the desire to break the records.
In this regard I don’t understand the RUSADA’s motives toward this girl who nobody cares if she is on drug or not: neither WADA nor NCAA.
The motives may be to punish her for being in the US or for something that she’s posted on social media back home. She may want to go ahead and apply for asylum.
Oof
continuing the tradition