“We will start with the US team, which has disgraced its name by tainted victories. We will also disclose exclusive information about other national Olympic teams later. Wait for sensational proof of famous athletes taking doping substances any time soon.
“We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us. Anonymous – #OpOlympics.”
It added: “After detailed studying of the hacked Wada database we figured out that dozens of American athletes had tested positive. The Rio Olympic medalists [sic] regularly used illicit strong drugs justified by certificates of approval for therapeutic use. In other words they just got their licences for doping.”
There is no suggestion the TUEs granted to the Williams sisters, Biles and Delle Donne were anything but legitimate under current anti-doping rules. However, there has been controversy in the past about the use of medical exemptions in sport and the leaks seem designed to reignite that debate.
The IOC said in a statement that none of the athletes whose data was leaked had violated anti-doping rules during Rio 2016. It added: “The IOC strongly condemns such methods which clearly aim at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes.”
The hack was the second successful cyber-attack on the agency after the ADAMS password of the woman who blew the whistle on state-sponsored doping in Russia, Yuliya Stepanova, was also obtained.
Former doper Stepanova has been in hiding in the US with her husband, Vitaly Stepanov, a former anti-doping official, since testifying against her country.