The prosecutions are based on data retrieved from the Moscow Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) relating to 2012 provided by Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia's national anti-doping laboratory in Moscow.

Cases involving three of the athletes - double national freestyle champion Elena Vostrikova, fellow national champion Darya Leksina and Aleksey Shchekov, who all showed traces of the banned substance furosemide, a diuretic often used to mask other performance-enhancing drugs, had been announced in March 2022. 

Vostrikova, a quarter-finalist in the 2013 World Championships, officially completed her ban on March 1 earlier this year having admitted to the anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) and received a reduced punishment.

Shchekov did not admit to the ADRV and thus did not benefit from early admission reduction.

He was sanctioned with a two-year period of ineligibility until March 1 next year and the disqualification of all competitive results from April 6 in 2012 until March 2 last year.

A number of other incidents involving Russian wrestlers have now been added to the case.

Margarita Fatkulina, Elena Getta Anzhela Kataeva, Elena Kulikova, Alevtina Lisitsina and Anastasiya Shchavlinskaya have all been banned until November 18 this year. 

The cases have been part of an investigation conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Intelligence & Investigations Department (WADA I&I) and Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren.

The evidence was provided by WADA I&I to the ITA in 2021 and 2022 for further assessment.

In particular, these investigations uncovered LIMS data indicative of the presence of banned substances in samples provided by the athletes in 2012.