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Former doping control officer put on wanted list for tampering with athlete database

According to the source, after fleeing to the United States, Rodchenkov and Sobolevsky, with WADA's blessing, repeatedly offered the former director of the Antidoping Center Maria Dikunets money and asylum in the US or Canada

MOSCOW, August 5./TASS/. The former deputy head of the Anti-Doping Laboratory, defector Timofey Sobolevsky, has been put on the wanted list in Russia, a law enforcement agency source told TASS.

"Sobolevsky is wanted for manipulating the database of Russian athletes," the source said.

According to him, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Sobolevsky under part 2 of Article 294 of the Russian Criminal Code (obstructing an objective investigation), in which the ex-head of the Moscow Antidoping Laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov is also an accused party. The article envisages a fine or arrest for up to six months.

Earlier on Monday, news came that Sobolevsky had been put on the wanted list in Russia. Rodchenkov was arrested in absentia in September 2017 and put on the international wanted list.

According to the source, after fleeing to the United States, Rodchenkov and Sobolevsky, with WADA's blessing, repeatedly offered the former director of the Antidoping Center Maria Dikunets money and asylum in the US or Canada. In return, they wanted her to give them access to a database which holds the initial test results of Russian athletes. After that, she turned to law enforcement agencies, and her further negotiations with Rodchenkov and Sobolevsky were conducted under the supervision of investigators.

Meanwhile, the press bureau of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) emphasized that Rodchenkov and Sobolevsky are spearheading a new US initiative to smear Russian athletes by trumping up accusations of violations in sports where Russia has dominated for decades without any hint of doping.

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