MOSCOW, May 3. /TASS/. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) received last month six applications from athletes requesting TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption) permits, an agency spokesperson told TASS on Friday.

"RUSADA received six requests for Therapeutic Use Exemption permits in April," the spokesperson said adding that the agency also granted approval to seven of the earlier submitted requests.

In all, RUSADA received 58 requests for TUE permits since the start of the year (nine in January; 23 in February; 20 in March and six in April).

The country’s anti-doping body reported previously that in 2023 RUSADA received 117 applications from national athletes requesting TUE permits and 69 out of them were granted approval. The number for the year of 2022 stood at 78 requests for TUE permits and 40 granted approvals.

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.