The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) announced a significant decrease in the number of positive tests registered in 2024, though there was an increase in two other key categories that may have played a role.
After 15 positive tests were taken in December, a RUSADA spokesperson told state-sponsored media outlet TASS that a total of 102 positive tests were registered in 2024, decreasing from the 150 reported in 2023.
In 2022, there 135 positive tests.
Month-by-Month Positive Tests – 2024
- January – 4
- February – 4
- March – 7
- April – 4
- May – 6
- June – 14
- July – 13
- August – 7
- September – 6
- October – 2
- November – 20
- December – 15
RUSADA Director General Veronika Loginova noted that the positive tests included the use of anabolic steroids, diuretics and masking agents, along with meldonium, a substance used to treat cardiovascular and neurological conditions that was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Banned List in 2016.
Decorated breaststroker Yuliya Efimova was among many Russian athletes to test positive for meldonium in 2016—she was ultimately cleared of the charges.
Meldonium also accounted for a large portion of the Russian positive tests in 2022.
Along with the decrease in positive tests, RUSADA also reported an increase in both requests for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) and the number of “whereabouts failures” registered by Russian athletes during the year.
RUSADA reported 282 whereabouts violations in 2024, an increase from 242 in 2023. In 2022, there were 375.
An athlete can be suspended from competition if they have three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.
RUSADA also received a total of 141 TUE applications during the year, up from 117 in 2023 and 78 in 2022.
Athletes can apply for TUEs if they are required to take medication that is on WADA’s List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.
After initially being deemed non-compliant by WADA in late 2019, RUSADA has yet to be reinstated and recover its rights, with WADA reiterating Russia’s non-compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code in September 2023.
In March 2024, WADA President Witold Banka said RUSADA’s rights would be reinstated after conducting an in-person audit, though the global governing agency has not followed through with that audit given the current geopolitical situation.
