The New York Times reports that seven Russian female Track and Field athletes have been suspended due to doping violations. Five of the women were on the Russian Olympic team. A 16 month sting operation that involved DNA testing revealed that the women involved had evaded detection by using another person's urine at out of competition tests. The International Association of Athletics Federations began to store out of competition samples during the spring of 2007. Comparisons of these samples with those drawn during competition showed different DNA.
Writes the Times:
“The number of suspensions, and the varied events involved, raised troubling questions about possible ineptitude or corruption in Russian drug-testing procedures and also prompted concerns about whether a deliberate, systematic attempt was made by coaches or officials to undermine drug-testing protocols.”
Source: New York Times
