WADA President Witold Bańka said the organisation is still in touch with RUSADA ©Getty Images

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Bańka has said the non-compliant Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) testing operations are still being monitored despite complications brought about by the war in Ukraine.

A decision on whether to reinstate RUSADA is expected to come at the end of the year following the expiration of two years of sanctions imposed over the cover-up of a state-sponsored doping scheme.

However, the process to ensure RUSADA is compliant has been complicated by the country's invasion of Ukraine, with an in-person audit delayed in March due to travel challenges and instead conducted remotely.

Despite these problems, Bańka, who repeated WADA's condemnation of the invasion, insisted the anti-doping authority can still monitor the RUSADA.

"We have an open line of communication with RUSADA to make sure that the war is not a paradise for cheats," Bańka said, speaking at the WADA Global Education Conference in Sydney.

WADA continues to "monitor them [RUSADA] closely", according to Bańka, who added the war made the situation "hard to predict".

"We have to wait for the end of the year, we monitor what they are doing, let's see in the next weeks or months what happens."

WADA's Executive Committee is meeting on Friday (September 23) and RUSADA is expected to be on the agenda.

Russia's name, flag and anthem have been banned from two Olympic Games because of RUSADA's non-compliance ©Getty Images
Russia's name, flag and anthem have been banned from two Olympic Games because of RUSADA's non-compliance ©Getty Images

RUSADA was declared non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code in December 2019 after it was found by WADA to have manipulated Moscow laboratory data in an attempt to cover-up institutionalised doping.

WADA initially imposed four years worth of sanctions, but the period was halved following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The sanctions expire on December 17 this year.

Russia's name, flag and anthem have been barred from World Championship and Olympic events for two years and the country was also banned from hosting or be granted the right to stage major competitions "unless it is legally or practically impossible" for them to be moved elsewhere.

All World Anti-Doping Code signatories were bound to enforce the sanctions, although several World Championships went ahead in Russia.

Russian athletes competed as "neutrals" under the Russian Olympic Committee banner at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.

Since then, the country has been further exiled from international sport after the International Olympic Committee recommended athletes and teams from Russia and its military ally Belarus be banned from competitions outright due to the war in Ukraine.