A Council of Europe Evaluation Team visited the Russian Federation to assess the implementation of the Anti-Doping Convention. The visit which took place from 21 to 23 September 2021 aimed at analysing the measures taken in the fight against doping in sport in Russia.

The Team met with Oleg Matytsin, Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation, as well as with key anti-doping stakeholders including RUSADA (Russian Anti-Doping Agency), its Founders and Supervisory Board, the Olympic and Paralympic Committees, All-Russian Sport Federations, and athletes. In addition, a visit to the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory was carried out.

The Evaluation Team comprised the participation of Michael Petrou (Cypriot Anti-Doping Agency, Head of delegation), Michał Rynkowski (Polish Anti-Doping Agency, Rapporteur), Pia Haschke (Austrian Sport Ministry), Satu Heikkinen (Finish Sport Ministry), and Ingunn Hullstein (Norwegian Doping Control Laboratory).

The Evaluation Team will present its findings and recommendations to the Russian Federation in the form of a report, which should be presented to the Monitoring Group (T-DO) for possible adoption at its next meeting on 13-14 December 2021.

"The findings of the visit will serve as a basis for recommendations to the Russian authorities on specific areas to make anti-doping more effective. The Team had an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and noted the strong commitment of the Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation, Oleg Matytsin, to put in place a robust system to fight doping in sport at all levels in the country", said Michael Petrou, Head of the Evaluation Team.

For further details about the visit see the Joint Statement of Michael Petrou, Head of the Evaluation Team and Oleg Matytsin, Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation.