Medical Information On U.S. Olympians Hacked, Released; Russians Suspected

The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed Tuesday that a Russian cyber espionage group gained access into its database and released confidential medical information of athletes into the public domain.

WADA said the group, known as "Fancy Bear" or "Tsar Team," gained access to its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) database through an account created by the International Olympic Committee for the 2016 Rio games.

"The group accessed athlete data, including confidential medical data — such as Therapeutic Use Exemptions delivered by International Sports Federations (IFs) and National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) — related to the Rio Games; and, subsequently released some of the data in the public domain, accompanied by the threat that they will release more," WADA said in a statement. Therapeutic Use Exemptions, or TUEs, allow athletes to use substances banned by WADA if they have an illness or condition that requires the use of such a substance.

The group released information on American athletes Simone Biles, Elena Delle Donne, Serena Williams and Venus Williams. WADA said the group was able to access information confined to the Rio games, and the agency does not believe that other information in the database has been compromised.

In releasing the information on Monday, the group claimed that dozens of American athletes had tested positive for doping.

Biles released a statement Tuesday saying she has ADHD and has taken medicine for the condition since she was a child. She said she believes in fair sport and has always followed the rules.

USA Gymnastics said in a statement Biles has filed the proper paperwork per USADA and WADA requirements and has not committed any violations. The International Olympic Committee confirmed to The Associated Press that the athletes mentioned did not violate any anti-doping rules.

Venus Williams issued a statement late Tuesday saying she was disappointed that her private medical data had been compromised.

“It’s unthinkable that in the Olympic movement, hackers would illegally obtain confidential medical information in an attempt to smear athletes to make it look as if they have done something wrong. The athletes haven’t. In fact, in each of the situations, the athlete has done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication," U.S. Anti-Doping agency CEO Travis T. Tygart said in a statement.

"The respective International Federations, through the proper process, granted the permission and it was recognized by the IOC and USADA," the statement said. "The cyber-bullying of innocent athletes being engaged in by these hackers is cowardly and despicable. It is time for the entire international community to stand up and condemn this cyber-attack on clean sport and athletes rights.”

WADA said it was taking the attack very seriously and has extended its investigation with the relevant law enforcement authorities.

In early August, Russian athlete Yuliya Stepanova's password for the database was illegally obtained. Stepanova was the key whistleblower who exposed the so-called "state sponsored doping" among Russian athletes. The IOC did not ban Russia from competing in the Olympics and left the decision to the international federations that oversee each sport, leaving Russia with 70 percent of its original team, USA Today reported. The International Paralympic Committee banned the country from competing entirely.

“WADA deeply regrets this situation and is very conscious of the threat that it represents to athletes whose confidential information has been divulged through this criminal act,” Olivier Niggli, Director General of WADA said in the statement. “We are reaching out to stakeholders, such as the IOC, IFs and NADOs, regarding the specific athletes impacted.”

In a statement carried by Russian news agencies, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Vladimir Putin, said WADA's accusations were unfounded.

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