Names of 300 Russian athletes are to be handed to International Federations ©Getty Images

Names of around 300 Russian athletes have been given to International Federations by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Lausanne today after they were implicated in a database obtained from the Moscow Laboratory.

All of the athletes are thought to have tested positive before being awarded negative results between April 2012 and September 2015.

WADA director of intelligence and investigations (I&I), Günter Younger, informed representatives of over 25 International Federations of the names of those under suspicion.

They claim to be confident that new evidence will ensure that cases which "have previously hit a dead-end can be resumed and new cases can be initiated - a number of which we believe will result in athletes being sanctioned".

Both summer and winter sports were among 60 International Federatin representatives present alongside officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee and other unspecified anti-doping organisations.

Athletes identified include those who would be expected to compete at next year's Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

The obtaining last month of the Laboratory information management system (LIMS) database, achieved without Russian cooperation, was hailed as a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into institutional doping and sample tampering by the world's largest country.

It is thought to have corroborated much of the evidence provided by former Moscow Laboratory director Grigory Rodchenkov, the main source for information in the WADA-commissioned McLaren Report. 

Nearly 10,000 names were initially found on the list.

This was whittled down to around 300 elite current athletes competing at international level.

Günter Younger addressed International Federation representatives in Lausanne today ©Getty Images
Günter Younger addressed International Federation representatives in Lausanne today ©Getty Images

"The I&I Department has since forensically reconstructed the database; determined its authenticity; uncovered and analysed its hidden content; and determined what valuable intelligence could be shared with these organisations to complement their results management process that was first initiated by the outcomes of WADA's independent McLaren Investigation," a WADA statement said  today.

A copy of the information in the database was given to the IOC-commissioned Schmid Commission before their recommendation last week which culminated in their verdict that there was a "systemic manipulation" of the anti-doping system at events, including Sochi 2014.

This led to the IOC ruling that Russian athletes must compete under a neutral flag at Pyeongchang 2018.

"IFs can consider WADA's I&I team as their collaborative partner in pursuing their investigations," said Younger after the meeting. 

"It is now over to them to diligently follow up on this new intelligence. 

"We will be available to advise and guide each Federation in the handling of their respective cases.

"While the LIMS data alone may not always be sufficient to establish an anti-doping rule violation, this is very credible evidence that can be used in combination with other evidence to form a sufficiently strong case.

"By triangulating the LIMS data with e-mails from the McLaren Investigation, affidavits, forensic evidence and what was reported into ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration and Management System), cases that may have previously hit a dead-end can be resumed and new cases can be initiated - a number of which we believe will result in athletes being sanctioned.

"In WADA's role as the global regulatory body, the Agency will be monitoring the results management process; and, retains the right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport as required."