Leading Russian anti-doping official dies suddenly

The former head of Russia’s anti-doping agency RUSADA, Nikita Kamayev, who resigned a year ago over the state sponsored doping allegations scandal, has died suddenly, the agency said Monday.

‘I’ve been told that he was out cross-country skiing, came home and felt pain in the area of the heart.

According to former RUSADA general director Ramil Khabriyev on Sunday, what happened “looks like a massive heart attack”, TASS reported. “I’d never heard him complain of anything to do with his heart”.

WADA suspended RUSADA and declared the organisation non compliant with its code, and the accreditation of its laboratory in Moscow was withdrawn.

Russian President Vladimir Putin distanced himself from the accusations and called on those responsible to own up to the violations.

RUSADA in its statement praised Kamayev as “an experienced and understanding manager” who “managed to create a friendly atmosphere among staff”. Kamayev, along with Khabriyev and other top executives, stepped down from RUSADA in mid-December.

Kamayev had previously described criticism in the WADA report, released last November, as “nonsense”.

Kamaev’s death comes less than two weeks after another former senior RUSADA figure, founding chairman Vyacheslav Sinev, who had left the agency in 2010.

The Independent Commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published on November 9, 2015, results of its probe into the activity of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF), the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, the RUSADA and the Russian Sports Ministry.

The taskforce chaired by Rune Andersen “will be responsible for making recommendations to the (IAAF) Council over the coming months”, Coe said.