The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has ruled that Russia does not meet the requirements for doping testing. Furthermore, cycling countries like Belgium, France and Spain will be on the “watch list” in the coming months.

After an investigation, WADA concluded that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency RUSADA does not comply with the rules on anti-doping and have asked the IAAF (International Athletics Union) to suspend the Russian Athletics Federation. However, WADA also reached the conclusion that the national anti-doping bodies of Argentina, Israel, Bolivia, Ukraine and Andorra are not compliant either. What kind of sanction those countries will face is not known yet but WADA will perform the doping controls at the expense of the country.

The above-mentioned six countries are not the only ones to face consequences. The national anti-doping agencies from Brazil, Belgium, France, Greece, Mexico and Spain will all be watched closely because they do not comply with the latest WADA Code. All these unions must meet strict requirements on March 18, 2016. Otherwise, they will be declared non-compliant too. It is not yet clear what the possible sanctions are.

In cycling, riders are controlled by the anti-doping agencies of the country in which they live. Many riders live and train in Belgium and Spain and their authorities have to get things under control before mid-March. Joaquim Rodriguez is one of the riders who live in Andorra, and he will now have to deal with international doping controllers instead of the national anti-doping agency of the mini-state in the Pyrenees.