Related case:
World Athletics 2019 WA vs Elena Orlova (1)
August 21, 2020
Ms Elena Orlova is the Senior Coordinator for the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF).
In August 2018 the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics has reported an anti-doping rule violation of Tampering against the high jumper Danil Lysenko after the AIU had opened an investigation against the Athlete regarding his Whereabouts Failures.
With the assistance of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) the AIU discovered that the Athlete had forged medical documents to the AIU. It also concluded that RusAF officials had been involved in the provision of false explanations and forged documents to the AIU in order to explain whereabouts failures by the Athlete.
As a result in November 2019 the AIU issued charges against Ms Elena Orlova, RusAF and several other RusAF officials for committing multiple anti-doping rule violations:
- Tampering or Attempted Tampering
- Complicity
- Refusal or failure to report an Anti-Doping Rule Violation
- Refusal or failure to cooperate with investigations.
On 21 August 2020, in seperate disciplinary proceedings, the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal had already decided to impose an 6 year period of ineligibility on Ms Orlova after the AIU had established that she had failed to provide digital evidence without compelling justification during their investigations. She also had disregarded to comply with the Order ussued by the Disciplinary Tribunal in July 2019.
In the current case Ms Orlova failed to repond to the charges against her within the set deadline regarding the reported anti-doping rule violations. Therefore the AIU deems that Ms Orlova has admitted the anti-doping rule violations, waived her right for a hearing and accepted the sanction proposed by the AIU. The AIU further considered the violations as a single violation and the sanction based on the anti-doping rule violation that carries the more severe sanction.
Therefore the AIU decides on 16 February 2021 to impose a 4 year period of ineligibility on Ms Elena Ikonnikova to be served concurrently with the already imposed 6 year period of ineligibility.
