Doping Cases Arising From The Moscow Laboratory Data Disclosure (Natalya Antyukh & Aleksandr Shustov)

This article examines two of the leading cases pursued against Russian athletes (namely sprinter Natalya Antyukh and high jumper Aleksandr Shustov) who were implicated in the Moscow Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) turned over to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It analyzes the arguments and evidence presented and the decisions made in cases before the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS).

After receiving the LIMS data, WADA identified a number of individual athletes, and turned over the results management authority to the international federations of the sports involved. As of the date of this report, WADA has confirmed to this author and to Inside the Games that 138 athletes have been convicted based on the LIMS data, with more than half of those 138 convictions coming from Athletics and Weightlifting.1

Many of the implicated athletes have retired from sport, so the motivations for contesting the charges may be related to disqualification of results rather than the ineligibility period.

• Background

• The case of Natalya Antyukh

• The case of Aleksandr Shustov

• Commentary