Fresh questions have emerged over Russia’s return to world sports after figures reviewed by Deutsche Welle: DW.com – Top Stories showed that only four of the 16 Russian weightlifters competing at the world championships underwent out-of-competition testing by the International Testing Agency (ITA). Two-time European champion Anastasiia Romanova, who previously served a two-year doping ban, was among those not tested by the ITA during the first nine months of 2026, according to its quarterly anti-doping reports.
Testing Comparisons and Scrutiny
By comparison, all 13 members of the North Korean team underwent at least one ITA test during the same period. North Korea, like Russia, has a history of doping violations in weightlifting. The ITA told Deutsche Welle: DW.com – Top Stories that it tested all 16 Russian weightlifters ahead of their participation in the event in Ningbo, China, where the championships are being held.
Rob Koehler, head of the athlete-led movement Global Athlete, called the lack of out-of-competition testing absurd, telling Deutsche Welle: DW.com – Top Stories that out-of-competition testing is the backbone of anti-doping because performance-enhancing drugs are most beneficial during training. Marta Nawrocka, the ITA’s spokesperson, said that Russian athletes were among the ten most-tested nationalities in weightlifting this year and defended the placement of only two Russian weightlifters in the sport’s highest-priority testing pool based on performance and risk profiles.
Historical Context and Oversight Concerns
Weightlifting was heavily implicated in Russia’s state-sponsored doping scandal following the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, ranking second only to athletics for positive cases identified in a 2016 report commissioned by WADA. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has remained suspended for most of the past decade, meaning its Moscow laboratory cannot analyze samples, which must instead be sent abroad. WADA spokesperson James Fitzgerald told Deutsche Welle: DW.com – Top Stories that the organization remains vigilant and continues to monitor RUSADA despite being unable to gain access to the country due to the ongoing geopolitical situation.
Despite the suspension, RUSADA retains the power to investigate and prosecute anti-doping cases involving Russian athletes. Critics like Koehler argue this creates a compounding problem without oversight or accountability. Furthermore, investigative reports from April alleged that RUSADA head Veronika Loginova was in a relationship with an alleged FSB officer, prompting WADA to confirm that its investigations unit is examining the ongoing inquiry into the allegations, which Loginova previously dismissed.
