MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has implemented its plan for 2024 on the doping testing of athletes ahead of schedule, RUSADA Director General Veronika Loginova told TASS on Thursday.

"We can already say that we have implemented our plan," she said in an interview with TASS. "But this does not mean that our doping control inspectors will be idling through the remaining days of the outgoing year 2024, as they will continue carrying out their duties."

"Each year, RUSADA collects slightly more doping samples than the agency’s set goals at the beginning of the year," Loginova continued.

"The Russian Finance Ministry grants funding for us, and we wisely spend it according to the set plan, despite all the difficulties and restrictions," she said. "We also carry out testing at the expense of various organizations and federations."

Russia’s governing anti-doping sports body, RUSADA, announced earlier a goal for this year to collect 11,000 doping samples from national athletes.

The agency’s press office announced in a statement earlier this month that it collected 815 samples from Russian athletes in November.

According to the statement, the total number of collected doping probes since the start of the year amounted to 10,701, and this number includes 970 samples collected in January, 1,039 in February, 990 in March, 1,029 in April, 1,034 in May, 935 in June, 1,071 in July, 1,122 in August, 863 in September, 833 in October, and 815 in November.

In 2023, RUSADA collected a total of 11,091 doping samples, and this figure stood at 11,053 in 2022.

RUSADA signed a cooperation agreement with the Turkish anti-doping laboratory in March 2022, which had valid accreditation from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Under Russia’s previously limited air traffic with Europe, the agreement allowed RUSADA to conduct testing of athletes’ blood samples within the required period, as well as to continue with its program on athletes’ biological passports.