Four months ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has expressed skepticism about Russian athletes “in view of past history”.

At its annual conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) spoke out on Tuesday about Russian athletes on the sidelines of the Olympic Games. The agency’s president, Witold Banka, declared: “They are all still subject to testing,” referring to the Russian athletes who will be present in Paris this summer. For Witold Banka, WADA’s fear is justified by the former Soviet country’s problematic past: “In view of past history, WADA remains deeply skeptical and concerned about the Russian subject. We must remain vigilant, he warned.

As a reminder, although Russia has refuted accusations of “state doping”, systemic cheating among Russian athletes between 2011 and 2015 led to numerous exclusions in 2016 in Rio, then to the obligation for Russian athletes to participate under a neutral banner in 2021 in Tokyo.

Russians (and Belarusians) will not be able to officially represent their country in Paris due to the war in Ukraine, but they will be allowed to vie for medals under a neutral flag.