Global anti-doping body WADA still awaiting Russia’s 2024 annual fee

MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is still waiting for the required annual fee from Russia for 2024, WADA’s press office spokesperson announced to TASS on Thursday.
Asked by a TASS correspondent whether Russia had paid its fees for 2024 and also covered the previous sum due for 2023, the WADA spokesperson replied: “The answer to both your questions is no.”
In 2024, WADA expects Russia to pay a contribution fee of over $1.336 million. The amount of Russia’s fees owed for 2023 stands at $1.267 million. At the beginning of this summer, $53,237 was paid off, which amounts to 4.2% of the total amount due. Russia still owes over $1.214 million to WADA.
Speaking on May 8 at a session of the Russian Parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, Andrey Fyodorov, former deputy head of the Russian Sports Ministry, stated that WADA resorted to various pretexts to refuse to accept Russia’s fees for 2023.
Following Russia’s disagreement with the amount it was being asked for to pay as a member of the Council of Europe, with which it parted ways in March 2022, WADA ruled in mid-November 2023 to set up a work group on the issue of Russia and Belarus’ refusal to pay membership fees in line with the agency’s established order.
In late 2023, WADA’s press office announced that the organization was in contact with Russia to receive the annual membership fee contribution, but ongoing restrictions in the global banking system complicated that process.