The World Anti-Doping Agency president has challenged athletes critical of last week’s compromise with Russia to come up with a better alternative.

Sir Craig Reedie also insisted that the deal to lift the suspension of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency was a good one for clean sport because it would allow Wada access to 2,800 samples in the Moscow laboratory which could be used to solve more doping cases.

‘Triumph for money over clean sport’: ex-Wada head criticises Russia decision Read more

Many athletes and anti-doping groups were furious when Wada’s executive committee decided to declare Rusada compliant again, especially as the Russian government refused to meet two key demands beforehand, including not acknowledging that it ran a massive state‑sponsored doping programme.

Reedie vigorously defended Wada’s deal and said he had always been in favour of helping athletes during his 48 years in international sport. “I am used to athletes complaining,” he said. “But my question to them is what, in practice, is the alternative?”

Reedie said he hoped Wada’s credibility had not been damaged by the events of the past week but said he was not sure athletes fully understood Wada’s intentions. “The athletes really need to know that in the Moscow laboratory there are around 2,800 samples which we would very much like to see in terms of completing cases – both ongoing cases and potentially new cases – against athletes who have cheated. And I think if they knew that they might be much more sympathetic to what we have been doing recently.

“Athletes should also know that efforts are being made to produce a really good and robust and monitored doping process in Russia and that’s likely to deliver clean sport.”

Play Video 2:16 All forgiven?: Wada lifts ban on Russia's anti-doping agency – video explainer

Jonathan Taylor, chairman of the independent compliance review committee that recommended Rusada’s return, said Russia’s promise to allow an independent expert access to the Moscow lab by 31 December was significant. “We now have a specific deadline and a specific commitment,” he said. “And it’s not just ‘give us a CD-Rom’, it’s giving an expert access to the instruments themselves so this person can extract the raw data. This will give us the chromatographs and all the other underlying lab data that would go into an evidence pack to get a prosecution.”

Taylor also insisted there would be consequences if Russia did not play ball. “The new compliance standards are backed by meaningful consequences,” he said. “If there is no agreement, it will be taken to the court of arbitration for sport. We’re in a stronger position and hopefully the Russians will understand this and comply.”

However, Wada’s decision came under further fire from a number of athletes’ groups, including its own athletes’ commission. “Instead of adhering to the roadmap, Wada worked with Russia towards unjustifiable concessions in a process that completely cut out the athletes from around the world,” it said in a statement. “Wada’s decision proves one thing: the views of clean athletes are not valued.”