Anti-Doping

Wrestling to Join with Newly Formed International Testing Agency Through Tokyo 2020

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 18) – United World Wrestling’s bureau has agreed to sign with the International Testing Agency (ITA) to oversee and manage the sport’s anti-doping program.  Wrestling joins a growing list of International Federations who’ve signed with ITA in the past few months.

ITA will be in charge of wrestling’s entire anti-doping program, which includes in-competition and out-of-competition testing, results management including decision for positive tests, therapeutic use exemptions, and athlete education. United World Wrestling will remain responsible for being compliant to the WADA code.

“We are excited to join with the ITA to help ensure that our athletes have access to proper information about anti-doping policies and are ensured of clean competition,” said United World Wrestling president and IOC Executive board member Nenad Lalovic. “We believe the ITA will provide a good solution for wrestling by adding a number of excellent services to the organization.”

The ITA, which will take over all testing on January 1, 2018, recently old Inside the Games their mission was to restore confidence in the anti-doping system.

"We look forward to providing the global sport community and athletes with our expertise in clean sport," said the Foundation Board's President Valérie Fourneyron, the former French Sports Minister. "Our primary focus will be to regain trust by acting upon doping issues evenly across all sports worldwide."

Anti-Doping

Russian Elkanov Suspended Four Years

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (August 30) – United World Wrestling has suspended freestyle wrestler Dmitrii ELKANOV (RUS) following violations of the organization’s anti-doping policy during the 2018 Cadet Wrestling World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

United World Wrestling issued the test July 3, 2018 and had it processed through a WADA-accredited laboratory in Seibersdorf (AUT).

Elkanov’s test indicated the presence of Dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone, Exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroid under class S1.1A of the 2018 Prohibited List and is prohibited at all times (in and out-of-competition). According to UWW’s records, no Therapeutic Use Exemption was delivered by UWW to justify the presence of Dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone in the wrestler’s system. 

A suspension of four years was imposed and will run from July 28, 2018 to July 27, 2022.

Elkanov’s gold medal in freestyle wrestling at 80kg will also be forfeited and returned. The updated medal standings are as follows:

GOLD: Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
SILVER: Rafayel HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
BRONZE: Shakhbos KOMILOV (UZB)
BRONZE: Ahmet YUCEL (TUR)