MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) reported 14 suspected violations of anti-doping regulations by Russian athletes in May, the agency’s spokeswoman told TASS on Wednesday.
"RUSADA has registered 14 cases of possible violations of anti-doping regulations in May," she said. The total number of reported potential anti-doping rules violations since the start of the year is currently 38, with two violations in January, five in February, eight in March, nine in April and 14 in May.
Last year, RUSADA reported identifying 102 potential violations by Russian athletes involving performance enhancing drugs.
In 2023, RUSADA reported an overall number of 150 potential violations by Russian athletes involving performance enhancing drugs. The figure for the year of 2022 was registered to stand at 135.
RUSADA Director General Veronika Loginova earlier told TASS that cases of suspected anti-doping violations involved the use of anabolic steroids, diuretics and masking agents as well as the use of meldonium, a prohibited substance.
The drug meldonium (mildronate) was placed on WADA’s prohibition list on January 1, 2016. The presence of this substance in an athlete’s bloodstream during and between competitions is a violation of the anti-doping rules. Meldonium is categorized by WADA’s blacklist as an S4 class substance (hormones and metabolic modulators).
Mildronate is a cardiovascular medication freely available for purchase at pharmacies across Russia without a doctor’s prescription.