Grigory Rodchenkov

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Mikhailovich and the family name is Rodchenkov.

Grigory Rodchenkov
Born (1958-10-24) 24 October 1958 (age 66)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Alma materMoscow State University
AwardsOrder of Friendship
Scientific career
Thesis Хромато-масс-спектрометрический анализ кортикостероидов в биологических объектах  (1990)
Doctoral advisorVictor Uralets

Grigory Mikhailovich Rodchenkov (Russian: Григорий Михайлович Родченков; born 24 October 1958) is the former head of Russia's national anti-doping laboratory, the Anti-Doping Center. Rodchenkov is known for his involvement in the state-run doping program in Russia.

In November 2015, the Independent Commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) determined that Rodchenkov was "at the heart of the positive drug test coverup", and that he had been directly involved with concealing positive tests and destroying 1,417 urine samples.[1] Rodchenkov made headlines in 2016 after an interview to The New York Times exposing the doping program in Russia. Rodchenkov said he developed a three-drug cocktail of banned substances that he mixed with liquor and provided to dozens of athletes at the Sochi Olympics.[2] Rodchenkov's allegations were confirmed by the independent McLaren Report, leading to Russia's partial bans from the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics. Since the revelations became public, Rodchenkov has been living in hiding, under witness protection.[3]

Rodchenkov and his connections to Russian doping were the subject of the 2017 Netflix documentary Icarus, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Oscars ceremony.[4]

In 2023, the United States authorized the Rodchenkov Act which seeks to identify and sanction individuals involved in doping at major international sporting events if American companies are involved in sponsoring those events or the American financial system is utilized by the organizers.[5][6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference WADA2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R.; Schwirtz, Michael (12 May 2016). "Russian Insider Says State-Run Doping Fueled Olympic Gold". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  3. ^ "The Russian whistleblower hiding from the Kremlin's spies". BBC News. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (5 March 2018). "Netflix Wins First Feature Documentary Oscar With 'Icarus'". Variety. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. ^ "The United States' Response to the Russian Doping Scandal". Marquette Law Scholarly Commons.
  6. ^ Ian Dille (13 October 2023). "This Could Be a Game Changer in the Fight Against Doping".