MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) received last month nine applications from athletes requesting TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemptions) permits, an agency spokesperson told TASS on Thursday.

"RUSADA received nine requests for Therapeutic Use Exemptions in October," the spokesperson said adding that nine of the requests submitted earlier in the year were approved by the agency.

In all, according to TASS information, RUSADA received 94 requests for TUE permits since the start of the year (six in January; eight in February; 21 in March, five in April; 13 in May; five in June; five in July; seven in August; 15 in September and nine in October).

The agency reported earlier that in 2022 RUSADA received 78 applications from national athletes requesting TUE permits and 40 out of them were granted approval.

TUE is a term used by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which allows an athlete to legally consume a drug from the list of banned substances if an athlete is "required to take [the drug] to treat an illness or condition." A number of experts believe that many athletes use these TUE permits as a loophole to evade doping penalties.