The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has announced that its investigation into Russia's state-backed doping programme has resulted in more than 300 sanctions against athletes, marking what its president called the 'most successful investigation in anti-doping history'.
Operation LIMS, based on data from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory's Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) recovered in 2019, has led to 302 sanctions against 291 Russian athletes, with 11 athletes receiving two sanctions each for separate violations.
Wada president Witold Banka said on Thursday: 'Put simply, Operation LIMS is the most successful investigation in anti-doping history. An incredible 302 sanctions have now been imposed in the wake of Russia's institutionalised doping scheme.'
The sanctions have been imposed by 23 different anti-doping organisations, with four additional cases still pending. Weightlifting accounted for 107 cases and athletics 93, with a total of 22 sports implicated.
Wada defended its 2018 decision to conditionally reinstate the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada), which had been declared non-compliant in 2015 after widespread doping was uncovered. Banka said the reinstatement allowed investigators to obtain critical evidence from the Moscow Laboratory, without which the cases could not have been prosecuted.
Wada confirmed that all Operation LIMS cases have now been investigated, bringing the probe to a close.
