WADA President Sir Craig Reedie has criticised opponents of the decision to reinstate Russia ©ITG

World Anti-Doping Agency President Sir Craig Reedie strongly defended how the organisation had handled the crisis in Russia and accused some of his opponents of being motivated more by politics than finding a solution. 

Several National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs), most notably in the United States, criticised the decision by WADA in January to declare the Russian Anti-Doping Agency compliant again even after it missed a deadline to hand over crucial data from its Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).

Sir Craig, talking at LawAccord, an event being held as part of SportAccord Summit, which opened here today, claimed most countries backed WADA's decision to reinstate Russia but a small group wanted them banned for as long as possible.

"Most of them clearly begin to understand that it doesn't make much sense for them to complain about what we have done because the alternative to some NADOs seemed to be to keep Russia non-compliant forever," he said. 

"The alternative is rebuild and produce a robust [anti-doping] organisation in Russia. 

"Failure to do that, in my view, runs the risk of them going back to the bad old days and starting to do what they did before. 

"That doesn't seem to do anything for clean sport and doesn't protect athletes.

"A number of NADOs were thinking entirely on a political basis and not a practical basis. 

More than 2,200 samples were retrieved from Moscow Laboratory, which WADA President Sir Craig Reedie cited as evidence that his organisation's approach to the crisis in Russia had been the correct one ©Getty Images
More than 2,200 samples were retrieved from Moscow Laboratory, which WADA President Sir Craig Reedie cited as evidence that his organisation's approach to the crisis in Russia had been the correct one ©Getty Images

"We live in a political world and they are entitled to their views but my view, as President of the organisation, is to see through the logic, sensible and legal way of doing this. 

"Look at the situation that has existed over the past 18 months to two years – the biggest political stand-off there has been for years. 

"Diplomats are being dismissed, people are being hacked, in my country people were poisoned. 

"WADA is just about the only organisation that has actually brought Russia to do what we wanted them to do. 

"They are now behaving extremely well."

The WADA last week confirmed a five-person team had retrieved more than 2,200 samples from Moscow Laboratory and that the team was on its way to an accredited laboratory outside Russia.

An update is due to be presented at the next meetings of WADA’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board on May 15 and 16.

Sir Craig admitted he was not complacent enough to believe the situation in Russia was totally solved.

"I don't think anyone in WADA – or anyone in sport – would believe you can change totally the culture of Russia but we can begin to explain that we have begun that process as far as anti-doping is concerned," he said.