Twenty years after its establishment, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is meeting for its fifth global conference in the Polish city of Katowice from Tuesday to Thursday.
Officially, the reasons for the meeting are to adopt a new anti-doping code and elect a new president.
However, it is the long-running case of Russian state doping and institutional cheating that will dominate the upcoming session.
A scandal that refuses to be silenced, but at the same time is not on the agenda of the WADA executive committee in Poland, as there has been no talk of possible sanctions in Russia.
The case, which has dominated the global fight against doping – and how to tackle it – for the past five years, resurfaced in September amid suspicions of manipulation of electronic data from the former Moscow laboratory, which was handed over to WADA investigators in early 2019.
The revelations could lead to new sanctions such as a ban from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as the fight against doping accelerates following Russia's conviction for state-sponsored doping between 2011 and 2015.
The Russian Athletics Federation has been banned from international competition since 2015.
The most recent allegations are still under investigation and WADA hopes to reach a decision by the end of the year.
Last month, the situation became even more murky when Microsoft revealed that Russian hackers, Fancy Bears, attempted to attack the computer systems of several global anti-doping agencies.
The next world anti-doping code is due to be adopted on Thursday and is expected to be more flexible on positive results from the use of so-called psychotropic drugs, such as cocaine or cannabis.
If it is proven that the substances were taken without the intention of enhancing athletic performance, the suspension from competition will be as little as three months, or even one month if the athlete agrees to undergo a detoxification program.
Currently, cocaine use is theoretically punishable by a four-year suspension, like any other banned substance.
However, the penalties are often lighter – for example, Peruvian soccer star Paolo Guerrero was given a 14-month ban in May 2018, although that ban was lifted in time for him to play in the World Cup in Russia.
This planned change is likely to raise reactions among those for whom anti-doping is about protecting public health.
WADA Director General Olivier Niggli said: "Our aim is anti-doping control, so it concerns sport. Protecting health worldwide is a matter for each country.".
In a huge surprise, the current Polish Minister of Sports, Witold Banka, will be elected as the new president of WADA on Thursday.
He will succeed Briton Craig Reedie, who came from the ranks of the Olympic movement and is completing his work at the age of 78 after two terms overshadowed by the Russian doping crisis.
Banka, just 35 years old and a former 400-meter runner, is a member of WADA's executive committee and has pledged to maintain good relations between states and the sporting world.
He sought to distance himself from his main rival, Norwegian politician Linda Helleland, who had promised to be much tougher on the Olympic movement, which he accused of leniency towards the Russians.
Banka will take office on January 1 next year and is expected to leave the Polish government.
