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Russia accuse UK Anti-Doping of creating 'wall of mistrust' over Mo Farah drug samples

Ont he subject of Mo Farah, Ukad's chief executive said the organisation will not 'risk samples that we hold in storage' - Getty Images Europe
Ont he subject of Mo Farah, Ukad's chief executive said the organisation will not 'risk samples that we hold in storage' - Getty Images Europe

Russia have accused UK Anti-Doping of creating a "wall of mistrust" after its chief executive said she would fight any attempt by the World Anti-Doping Agency to seize its stock of Mo Farah's urine and blood samples.

Nicole Sapstead last week said she would block the release of samples stored for future retesting unless there was "credible evidence" to suggest they contained banned substances.

Responding to Sapstead's comments, Russian Anti-Doping Agency deputy general director Margarita Pakhnotskaya on Monday told Russia's official state news agency TASS: "The World Anti-Doping Code and Wada standards are the same for everyone.

"Be it the British Anti-Doping Agency, Rusada or some other. Otherwise, the system will not work. Therefore, I believe that Ukad should not obstruct any transfer of samples.

"According to paragraph 6.5 of the World Anti-Doping Code, the subsequent additional analysis of doping samples can be carried out at any time solely on the instructions of the anti-doping organisation or on the instructions of Wada.

"Any opacity on either side, and this is not just about Ukad, creates a wall of mistrust in the country's anti-doping system and, accordingly, its athletes as part of the system."

Ukad refused a request to hand over samples it held for Farah during the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation into Alberto Salazar, which led to the coach being a handed a four-year ban he is currently appealing.

The World Anti-Doping Agency recently announced another probe into athletes who have worked with Salazar, but Sapstead last week said she was "not going to risk samples that we hold in storage" unless there was "credible evidence" to suggest they contained banned substances.

Kara Goucher, who trained under Salazar before blowing the whistle on some of his alleged practices, also questioned Sapstead's comments, saying: "Quite honestly this is shocking.

"If a coach being found guilty of violating anti-doping rules isn’t "credible evidence" then I don't know what is. For what it's worth, Wada is welcome to any of my old samples."

Russia were last month hit with an unprecedented four-year ban from using its flag, anthem and team name at major events including the Olympics and World Cup after tampering with doping data following the biggest-scale drug cheat scandal in history.

Farah has never failed a drugs test and has always strenuously denied taking banned substances.