Over 100 suspected anti-doping rule violations against Russian athletes have been uncovered by RUSADA this year, its deputy director general Margarita Pakhnotskaya has revealed ©Margarita Pakhnotskaya

More than 100 suspected anti-doping rule violations against Russian athletes have been uncovered by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in the first half of this year, its deputy director general Margarita Pakhnotskaya has revealed.

Pakhnotskaya told Russia's official state news agency TASS that RUSADA had registered 102 potential cases from January to June.

A total of 53 of these were reported last month alone, Pakhnotskaya said.

Pakhnotskaya revealed RUSADA, controversially reinstated by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September of last year pending the fulfillment of two main conditions, which it completed in June, had conducted 5,703 doping tests so far in 2019.

RUSADA has collected 6,792 samples in the first six months of the year ©Getty Images
RUSADA has collected 6,792 samples in the first six months of the year ©Getty Images

RUSADA has collected 6,792 samples in the first six months of the year, a figure the organisation hopes will grow to 11,000 by the end of 2019 and 13,000 in 2020.

Separately, Pakhnotskaya revealed RUSADA had registered 156 cases involving availability violations, including whereabouts failures and missed drugs tests, by athletes from January to June.

She revealed 122 of these were missed tests and whereabouts issues were responsible for the other 34.

RUSADA also received 63 applications from national athletes requesting a therapeutic use exemptions from January to June, 19 of which were denied.

A total of 23 had been approved, while a decision remains pending in the other 21 cases.