Nikita Kamaev, Former Head of Russia's Anti-Doping Agency, Dies at Age 52

Nikita Kamaev, who was the former executive director of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, died Sunday because of a reported heart attack.

James Ellingworth of the Associated Press provided more details:  

"

The former executive director of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency has died, two months after resigning amid a doping scandal that triggered the suspension of the country's track and field program.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday, RUSADA spokeswoman Nataliya Koshel confirmed that Nikita Kamaev died on Sunday. He was 52.

‘The preliminary cause of death was a massive heart attack,’ RUSADA said in a statement.

"

Ellingworth also noted Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Kamaev “created” Russia’s anti-doping system. “It’s a very unexpected death. The man seemed healthy and everything was fine,” Mutko said to Russia’s R-Sport agency, per Ellingworth.

This is not the first time Kamaev’s name has been in recent headlines.

He and former RUSADA general director Ramil Khabriev resigned in December amid a scandal that rocked the Russian track and field program and could leave some of the country’s athletes out of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Ellingworth noted the resignations happened “a month after RUSADA was stopped from conducting drug tests when the World Anti-Doping Agency declared it non-compliant with global anti-doping rules.”

Dan Gartland of Sports Illustrated added more context to the fallout and what led to the punishments and resignations:

"

Russia has been suspended indefinitely from international track and field competitions after the World Anti Doping Agency accused Russia of covering up positive tests, alerting athletes when supposed surprise tests were coming and other transgressions. Russian athletes could miss the Olympics in Rio this summer. 

"

Ellingworth noted Kamaev's death came less than two weeks after founding RUSADA chairman Vyacheslav Sinev died Feb. 3. Sinev left the agency in 2010, and the RUSADA “didn’t elaborate” on his death, per Ellingworth.