GENEVA -- Russian hackers broke into a World Anti-Doping Agency database and posted confidential medical data online Tuesday of some United States female athletes who competed at the Rio Olympics -- including gymnast Simone Biles, tennis players Serena and Venus Williams and basketball player Elena Delle Donne.

WADA said the attack was carried out by a "Russian cyber espionage group" called "Fancy Bears," who revealed records of "therapeutic use exemptions" -- which allow athletes to use substances that are banned if there is a verified medical need.

The hackers posted medical records of Biles that showed the four-time gold medalist tested positive for methylphenidate after four tests -- Aug. 11, Aug. 14, Aug. 15 and Aug. 16. However, Biles was issued certificates that, per the International Gymnastics Federation, approved the one-daily use of the drug (15 mg) for therapeutic use for one-year periods in September 2012 and September 2013. In December 2013, Biles was again issued a one-year certificate for dexmethylphenidate that included an additional 10 mg dose per day, and that certificate for both dosages was extended for a four-year period from December 2014 to December 2018.

Biles responded on Twitter, saying that she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and has "taken medicine for it since I was a kid."

"Please know, I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me," she said.

USA Gymnastics issued a statement on Twitter confirming that Biles' records were breached from the WADA database by hackers.

USA Gymnastics statement regarding Simone Biles and WADA hack: pic.twitter.com/YTq2iVS7Vu — USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) September 13, 2016

The Williams sisters did not test positive in Rio, according to the records posted by the hackers, but had been granted multiple certificates of approval, authorized by the International Tennis Federation, for specified periods since 2010. Serena Williams was last approved for using prednisolone for a six-day period in June 2015. In the past, Serena also had approvals for methylprednisolone, hydromorphone, oxycodone and prednisone.

Venus, meanwhile, had exceptions for triamcinolone, prednisone, formoterol and prednisolone for specified periods between 2010 and 2013.

Venus Williams, who won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the Rio Olympics last month, issued a statement via her agent in which she said she was granted TUEs "when serious medical conditions have occurred," and those exemptions were "reviewed by an anonymous, independent group of doctors, and approved for legitimate medical reasons."

Williams revealed in 2011 she had been diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an energy-sapping disease.

"I was disappointed to learn today that my private, medical data has been compromised by hackers and published without my permission,'' Williams said. "I have followed the rules established under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program in applying for, and being granted, 'therapeutic use exemption.' "

The ITF also cautioned against "unjustified conclusions'' being drawn from exemptions it approved.

"All TUEs granted under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program are for the legitimate therapeutic use of medications and are in no way indicative of doping or a breach of the anti-doping rules,'' International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty said in a statement.

According to the hackers' documents, Delle Donne, who averaged 8.6 points per game as the U.S. won the gold in women's basketball, tested positive for using an amphetamine on Aug. 20, but she, too, had a certificate of approval, authorized by FIBA, for therapeutic use that was issued for a four-year period from Aug. 7, 2014 to Aug. 7, 2018. In addition, Delle Donne had another certificate, also authorized by FIBA, permitting the usage of a banned hydrocortisone from 2014 to 2018.

"I'd like to thank the hackers for making the world aware that I legally take a prescription for a condition I've been diagnosed with, which WADA granted me an exception for," Delle Donne said in a tweet Tuesday. "Thanks guys!"

USADA CEO Travis Tygart issued a statement Tuesday condemning the hackers' "attempt to smear athletes to make it look as if they have done something wrong."

"The athletes haven't," Tygart continued. "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. The respective International Federations, through the proper process, granted the permission and it was recognized by the IOC and USADA.

"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."

Three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome said he has "no issue" with his medical data being leaked.

"I've openly discussed my TUEs with the media and have no issues with the leak which confirms my statements," Froome said Thursday in a statement.

The Washington Mystics hope the addition of Elena Delle Donne will help them vault to the top of the standings after finishing last in the Eastern Conference. Getty Images

WADA previously warned of cyberattacks after investigators it appointed published reports into Russian state-sponsored doping.

"These criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia," World Anti-Doping Agency director general Olivier Niggli said in a statement.

WADA said it "extended its investigation with the relevant law enforcement authorities."

Last month, hackers obtained a database password for Russian runner Yuliya Stepanova, a whistleblower and key witness for the WADA investigations. She and her husband, a former official with the Russian national anti-doping agency, are now living at an undisclosed location in North America.

A spokesman for Russian state President Vladimir Putin rejected WADA's statement blaming Russian hackers as unfounded.

"There can be no talk about any official or government involvement, any involvement of Russian agencies in those actions. It's absolutely out of the question," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. "Such unfounded accusations don't befit any organization, if they aren't backed by substance."

The International Olympic Committee said it "strongly condemns such methods which clearly aim at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes."

"The IOC can confirm however that the athletes mentioned did not violate any anti-doping rules during the Olympic Games Rio 2016," the Olympic body said.

Those behind the breach have adopted the name Fancy Bears, an apparently tongue-in-cheek reference to a collection of hackers which many security researchers have long associated with Russia.

In a statement posted to its website early Tuesday, the group proclaimed its allegiance to Anonymous, the loose-knit movement of online mischief-makers, and said it hacked WADA to show the world "how Olympic medals are won."

"We will start with the U.S. team which has disgraced its name by tainted victories," the group said, adding that more revelations about other teams were forthcoming.

Internet records suggest Fancy Bears' data dump has been in the works for at least two weeks; their website was registered on Sept. 1 and their Twitter account was created Sept. 6.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>GENEVA — Confidential medical data of gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and other female U.S. Olympians was hacked from a World Anti-Doping Agency database and posted online Tuesday.

WADA said the hackers were a “Russian cyber espionage group” called Fancy Bears.

They revealed records of “Therapeutic Use Exemptions” (TUEs), which allow athletes to use otherwise-banned substances because of a verified medical need.

Williams, who won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the Rio Olympics last month, issued a statement via her agent in which she said she was granted TUEs “when serious medical conditions have occurred,” and those exemptions were “reviewed by an anonymous, independent group of doctors, and approved for legitimate medical reasons.”

Williams revealed in 2011 she had been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an energy-sapping disease.

“I was disappointed to learn today that my private, medical data has been compromised by hackers and published without my permission,” Williams said. “I have followed the rules established under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program in applying for, and being granted, ‘therapeutic use exemption.'”

Another athlete named was women’s basketball gold medalist Elena Delle Donne, who had thumb surgery on Tuesday and posted a post-op pic on Twitter, along with a statement saying she takes prescribed medication approved by WADA.

In a statement, USA Gymnastics said Biles — who won five medals, four gold, in Rio last month — was approved for an exemption and had not broken any rules.

She wrote on Twitter that she’s taken medication to treat ADHD since she was a child.

“Please know I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me,” Biles posted.

WADA previously warned of cyberattacks after investigators it had appointed published reports into Russian state-sponsored doping.

“These criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia,” World Anti-Doping Agency director general Olivier Niggli said in a statement.

WADA said it “extended its investigation with the relevant law enforcement authorities.”

Last month, hackers obtained a database password for Russian runner Yuliya Stepanova, a whistleblower and key witness for the WADA investigations. She and her husband, a former official with the Russian national anti-doping agency, are now living at an undisclosed location in North America.

“There can be no talk about any official or government involvement, any involvement of Russian agencies in those actions. It’s absolutely out of the question,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. “Such unfounded accusations don’t befit any organization, if they aren’t backed by substance.”

The International Olympic Committee said it “strongly condemns such methods which clearly aim at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes.”

“The IOC can confirm however that the athletes mentioned did not violate any anti-doping rules during the Olympic Games Rio 2016,” the Olympic body said.

The top American anti-doping official said it was “unthinkable” to try to smear athletes who followed the rules and did nothing wrong.

“The cyberbullying of innocent athletes being engaged in by these hackers is cowardly and despicable,” said Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

The name “Fancy Bears” appears to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to a collection of hackers that many security researchers have long associated with Russia.

In a statement posted to its website early Tuesday, the group proclaimed its allegiance to Anonymous, the loose-knit movement of online mischief-makers, and said it hacked WADA to show the world “how Olympic medals are won.”

“We will start with the U.S. team which has disgraced its name by tainted victories,” the group said, adding that more revelations about other teams were forthcoming.

Internet records suggest Fancy Bears’ data dump has been in the works for at least two weeks; their website was registered on Sept. 1 and their Twitter account was created on Sept. 6.

Messages left with the group were not immediately returned. A French name and phone number associated with the site both appeared to be bogus. A mailing address listed by the hackers appeared to point to a florist east of Paris; messages left with the business were not immediately returned.</s>LOS ANGELES -- The World Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday slammed Russian hackers who breached its database and published confidential records of U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

WADA said in a statement that the Russian cyber-espionage group Tsar Team (APT28), also known as Fancy Bears, had broken into its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) database.

The hacking group released information gleaned from the files of Biles, the Williams sisters and U.S. women's basketball player Elena Delle Donne.

In a posting on its website, Fancy Bears claimed U.S. athletes at the Olympics had "played well but not fair."

However, none of the documents published by the group provided evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the athletes involved.

Instead, the disclosed files set out instances where the athletes had been granted exemptions to use various medications for legitimate reasons — a common practice in the sports world.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) characterized the hack as a "cowardly and despicable" attempt to smear the four women.

"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," USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said.

"The cyber-bullying of innocent athletes being engaged by these hackers is cowardly and despicable," added Tygart, the anti-doping czar who famously helped expose U.S. cyclist and dope cheat Lance Armstrong.</s>The World Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday slammed Russian hackers who breached its database and published confidential records of US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

WADA said in a statement that the Russian cyber-espionage group Tsar Team (APT28), also known as Fancy Bears, had broken into its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) database.

The hacking group released information gleaned from the files of Biles, the Williams sisters and US women's basketball player Elena Delle Donne.

In a posting on its website, Fancy Bears claimed US athletes at the Olympics had "played well but not fair."

However none of the documents published by the group showed wrongdoing.

Instead, the disclosed files set out instances where the athletes had been granted exemptions to use various medications for legitimate reasons -- a common practice in the sports world.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) characterised the hack as a "cowardly and despicable" attempt to smear the four women.

"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," USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said.

"The cyber-bullying of innocent athletes being engaged by these hackers is cowardly and despicable," added Tygart, the anti-doping czar who famously helped expose US cyclist and dope cheat Lance Armstrong.

Biles said on Twitter she had taken medications for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since childhood.

"Please know I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me," said Biles, one of the stars of the Rio Olympics after winning four gold medals.

An International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokeswoman said the leaked information was "clearly aimed at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes" while stating that no anti-doping violation had occurred.

The data breach comes just weeks after hackers gained access to WADA's file on Russian doping whistleblower Yulia Stepanova.

Stepanova, who is living in hiding in the United States, later said she feared for her life following the hack.

"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," WADA director general Olivier Niggli said in a statement.

"WADA condemns these ongoing cyber-attacks that are being carried out in an attempt to undermine WADA and the global anti-doping system," Niggli added.

WADA said it believed the latest breach had occurred after "spear phishing" of email accounts and that it had been confined to ADAMS accounts of athletes competing in Rio.

Spear phishing is when an email user receives a message purportedly from someone they know, but it is actually from a hacker.

The hacking comes after a series of WADA investigations which have alleged a vast state-sponsored doping programme in Russian sport dating back several years.

Russia's track and field athletes were banned from the Rio Olympics by the International Association of Athletics Federations, angering the Kremlin, which condemned the move as politically motivated.

But an independent report commissioned by WADA and published in July by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren concluded that Russia had run an elaborate scheme to evade drug-testers at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, corroborating claims by the former head of Russia's anti-doping laboratory.

WADA chief Niggli said the hacking of the agency would hamper Russian efforts to reintegrate into the sports world.

"These criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia further to the outcomes of the Agency's independent McLaren Investigation Report," Niggli continued.

Fancy Bears however indicated it planned to release more information.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," the group said on its website.

"Wait for sensational proof of famous athletes taking doping substances any time soon."</s>Serena and Venus Williams have been targeted by Russian hackers attempting to expose high-profile American sports stars for using banned substances.

While there is no suggestion that the tennis sisters have done anything wrong, files obtained from the World Anti-Doping Agency have revealed the details of medications they are using.

Although the substances are on the agency’s banned list, the International Tennis Federation said the Williams sisters had been given permission to use the drugs for ‘therapeutic use’. The agency confirmed on Tuesday that a Russia-based cyber espionage group had gained access to their database via an International Olympic Committee account created for the Rio Games.

Details of medication for USA’s Olympic gymnastics sensation Simone Biles, who won four gold medals in Rio, have also been revealed. The International Federation of Gymnasts said Biles had done nothing wrong.

The situation is being presented as a sporting cold war, with the Russians looking to discredit the Americans after the suspension of Russian athletes from the 2016 Olympics for being part of a state-sponsored doping programme.

The documents leaked by a hackers group called the Fancy Bears allege that Serena Williams used oxycodone, hydromorphone, prednisone and methylprednisolone on different occasions since 2010. Venus Williams is said to have used prednisone, prednisolone and triamcinolone. Permission had been granted by doctors at the International Tennis Federation under exemptions granted for therapeutic use.

Such drugs can be prescribed for the treatment of common muscle injuries and Australian doping expert Richard Ings tweeted on Tuesday: ‘Serena Williams having a two-day treatment with a glucocorticosteroid is simply normal. It’s an anti- inflammatory.’

Biles is said to have used Ritalin, a drug used for attention deficit hyper-activity disorder.

And Biles tweeted on Tuesday: ‘I have ADHD and I have taken medicine for it since I was a kid. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing that I’m afraid to let people know.

‘Please know, I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me.’

While more leaks may follow — and reopen the debate about the number of athletes who use banned substances under the therapeutic use system, WADA saw it on Tuesday as a blatant attempt to undermine the fight against drug cheats.

In a statement, director general Olivier Niggli said: ‘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. WADA condemns the cyber-attacks that are being carried out in an attempt to undermine WADA and the global anti-doping system.

‘WADA has been informed by law enforcement authorities that these attacks are originating out of Russia. Let it be known that these criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia.’

The US Anti-Doping Agency condemned the attempt to smear American athletes, with chief executive Travis Tygart branding them as ‘cowardly and despicable’.

‘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,’ said Tygart.

‘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.’

A spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin rejected WADA’s statement blaming Russian hackers. ‘It’s absolutely out of the question,’ spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

But the Fancy Bears warned that this was only the beginning. ‘We will start with the US team which has disgraced its name by tainted victories,’ they said.</s>A group of Russian hackers claim to have found files showing the Williams sisters and gymnast Simone Biles were allowed to take banned substances by anti-doping bosses.

Hacktivists Fancy Bears leaked documents that allegedly demonstrate both Venus and Serena Williams took substances that were on the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) banned list.

However, the International Tennis Federation said the Williams sisters had been given permission to use the drugs for 'therapeutic use'.

Fancy Bears claimed American gymnast Simone Biles tested positive for another banned substance in August but also had special dispensation to use it.

Both the International Federation of Gymnasts and the International Tennis Federation said no rules had been broken.

The hack on the WADA is thought to have been carried out in revenge for Russia being banned from the Olympics in Rio.

The Kremlin was furious at the treatment of its athletes in Rio with some accusing Olympic chiefs of operating ‘double standards’ in banning Russian athletes while allowing US athletes previously found guilty of doping to compete.

WADA confirmed Russian hackers broke into its database and posted some athletes' confidential medical data online.

WHAT ARE THERAPEUTIC USE EXEMPTIONS? 

 Therapeutic use exemptions are granted to athletes with health conditions that require them to take normally banned drugs. These allow them to take substances found on the WDA's prohibited list without fear of punishment. The exemptions, which often attract controversy, have previously been granted to cyclists who say they have asthma. Another sport that has seen several exemptions granted is MMA (mixed martial arts). Some fighters have been allowed to take steroids because of low testosterone.

The hackers revealed records of 'Therapeutic Use Exemptions' which allow athletes to use substances that are banned unless there is a verified medical need.

WADA previously warned of cyber-attacks after investigators it appointed published investigations into Russian state-sponsored doping.

Director general Olivier Niggli said: 'These criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia.'

'WADA condemns these ongoing cyber-attacks that are being carried out in an attempt to undermine WADA and the global anti-doping system.

'WADA has been informed by law enforcement authorities that these attacks are originating out of Russia.'

Fancy Bears claims it had more information showing how 'tainted' Olympics medals have been won.

It said: 'Wait for sensational proof of famous athletes taking doping substances any time soon.'

The International Olympic Committee said it 'strongly condemns such methods which clearly aim at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes.'

An IOC spokesman said: 'The IOC can confirm however that the athletes mentioned did not violate any anti-doping rules during the Olympic Games Rio 2016,' the Olympic body said.

'Fancy Bears,' is apparently a tongue-in-cheek reference to a collection of hackers which many security researchers have long associated with Russia.

In a statement posted to its website early Tuesday, the group proclaimed its allegiance to Anonymous, the loose-knit movement of online mischief-makers, and said it hacked WADA to show the world 'how Olympic medals are won.'

Britain finished second in the Rio Olympic medal table and currently stands second in the Paralympic standings and its athletes’ records are thought to be a possible target for the hackers.

Many Russians blame Lord Coe, who as president of the International Association of Athletics Federations oversaw the ban on their track and field teams – a decision in contrast with many other Olympic sports.

Internet records suggest Fancy Bears' data dump has been in the works for at least two weeks; their website was registered on September 1 and their Twitter account was created on September 6.

It is the latest significant leak by Russian-based hackers suspected of links to the Moscow's intelligence services after a group broke into the US Democratic Party's National Committee computer networks and gaining access to data relating to Donald Trump.

MailOnline has contacted Simone Biles for comment. Representatives of Serena and Venus Williams have also been contacted.</s>The World Anti-Doping Agency said on Tuesday that hackers stole confidential medical information about US Olympic athletes and published it on the internet, blaming a Russian group for the attack.

 The US government is investigating the case because there is evidence that the hackers are linked to the Russian government, though details are still sketchy, according to two sources familiar with the probe who were not authorised to publicly discuss the matter.

 Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying any possible Russian government or secret service participation in the hacking was out of the question.

 An FBI representative said she had no immediate comment on the release of the medical information, which prompted gymnast Simone Biles to disclose that she has an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

 WADA issued a statement attributing the attack to Tsar Team, a hacking group widely known as APT28 and Fancy Bear by US cyber-security researchers.

 Fancy Bear is one of two hacking groups accused in June of hacking the Democratic National Committee’s computer network. CrowdStrike, a firm hired by the DNC to respond to those attacks, said in June that Fancy Bear was probably working on behalf of the Russian military.

 WADA said that law enforcement had told it the attacks originated in Russia. WADA spokeswoman Maggie Durand declined to elaborate or say how the operation had been uncovered.

 ‘WADA condemns these ongoing cyber-attacks that are being carried out in an attempt to undermine WADA and the global anti-doping system,’ said director General Olivier Niggli in a statement.

 WADA said it believed the hackers gained access to its anti-doping administration and management system via an IOC-created account for the Rio Games.

 The doping agency made the accusations as a website, www.fancybear.net, posted what appeared to be data about four US athletes: Simone Biles, Elena Delle Donne, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

 That site, which internet registration records said was created on September 1, said it planned disclosing information about athletes from other nations in the future.

 On Tuesday it released documents known as Therapeutic Use Exemptions, or TUEs, which are issued by sports federations and national anti-doping organisations to allow athletes to take certain substances.

 The leak of a TUE with information about Biles prompted her to disclose on Twitter that she has ADHD.

 ‘I have ADHD and I have taken medicine for it since I was a kid,’ Biles said. ‘Please know, I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me.’

 The International Olympic Committee, US Anti-Doping Agency, International Tennis Federation, and USA Gymnastics all issued statements saying that athletes whose data had been released had done nothing wrong.

 The IOC condemned the leak as an attempt to tarnish the reputation of clean athletes.

 ‘The IOC can confirm, however, that the athletes mentioned did not violate any anti-doping rules during the Olympic Games Rio 2016,’ the group said in a statement.

 ‘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,’ Travis Tygart, chief executive of USADA, said in a statement.

 ‘The cyber-bullying of innocent athletes being engaged by these hackers is cowardly and despicable.’

 ITF president David Haggerty said all TUEs handed out to tennis players were done so in accordance with WADA rules.

 USA Gymnastics said that Biles was approved for a TUE exemption and had not broken any rules.

 WADA’s chief, who apologised for the hack, said that it was ‘greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia,’ following release of the McLaren Investigation Report.

 The independent McLaren report charged that Russians had swapped positive doping samples for clean ones during the Sochi winter Games, with the support of the Russian secret service.

 WADA revealed last month that Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova’s electronic account had been illegally accessed.

 Stepanova, who is in hiding in North America, helped reveal the biggest state-backed doping programme in Russia and was forced to flee the country with her husband for fear of her life.</s>Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko has angrily denied suggestions that the hacking of confidential medical records belonging to leading American sports stars has anything to do with the Russian state.

The records were held by the World Anti-Doping Agency and relate to “therapeutic use exemptions” granted to certain athletes so they can take medication — prescribed by a doctor and verified by an independent panel — that would normally be banned because of its performance-enhancing qualities.

Wada confirmed on Tuesday that it had been the subject of repeated cyber attacks by a Russian-based group known as the Tsar Team or Fancy Bears.

This followed the publication of the TUE data, including the drugs that were prescribed, for tennis sisters Serena and Venus Williams, four-time Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles and US women’s basketball player Elena Delle Donne on a recently registered website, fancybear.net.

Speaking at the Uefa extraordinary congress in Athens, which Mutko attended in his capacity as the president of the Russian Football Union, the 57-year-old said: “How can you prove they are from Russia? You blame Russia for everything.

“I don’t know (where they are from), I don’t have this information.

“But we are also concerned because they have the same data for Russian athletes and we can also be a victim.

“No, there is no state involvement. How could there be?”

When asked about the fact that Wada has clearly said the attacks come from Russia and the hackers themselves have hardly hidden their nationality, Mutko said: “It is a bad thing the information has been hacked.

“All the information should be protected. It’s personal data.

“We have data protection rules in Russia, too. If somebody hacks personal data they will be prosecuted.”

The stealing of these private medical records — which reveal that the Williams sisters have been periodically prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs and pain-killers, while Biles is being treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a condition she says she has had since early childhood — has already been strongly criticised.

United States Anti-Doping chief Travis Tygart said: “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.”

Venus Williams said she was “disappointed” that her medical data has been “compromised by hackers and published without...permission”.

While Biles added in a short statement on her Twitter page: “Please know, I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me.”

Wada revealed that hackers had illegally gained access to its anti-doping administration and management system database via an IOC-created account for the Rio Games.

Director general Olivier Niggli said: “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.”

The attacks are understood to have originated in Russia in the wake of the McLaren Report, which uncovered a state-sponsored doping programme and led to some competitors being banned from this summer’s Olympic Games and the blanket exclusion of the country’s athletes at the Paralympics.

The Fancy Bears hack team has promised that more hacked information will be published.

“We are going to tell you how Olympic medals are won. We hacked World Anti-Doping Agency databases and we were shocked with what we saw,” the hackers have boasted on their website.

“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.”

These most recent attacks follow an earlier attempt to find the address of Russian doping whistle-blower Yulia Stepanova, who is now living in hiding in the United States with her family.</s>The substances identified in the leaks are typically anti-inflammatory medications and treatments for asthma and allergies.

Three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has “no issue” with his medical data being leaked, in an alleged criminal attack by Russian hackers on a World Anti-Doping Agency database.

Froome was a headline name among 25 athletes from Britain, the United States and Germany plus five other countries whose confidential details of using authorized medications spilled into the public domain late Wednesday.

“I’ve openly discussed my TUEs (therapeutic use exemptions) with the media and have no issues with the leak which confirms my statements,” Froome said Thursday in a statement.

WADA confirmed a second round of leaked data posted online, after medical records of gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams were among four American female Olympians whose data was revealed Tuesday.

All 29 cases revealed records of “Therapeutic Use Exemptions” which allow athletes to use otherwise-banned substances because of a verified medical need.

The substances identified in the leaks are typically anti-inflammatory medications and treatments for asthma and allergies.

Froome’s use of strong anti-inflammatory medication, approved by the International Cycling Union for the 2014 Tour de Romandie race in Switzerland, was widely reported two years ago.

“In nine years as a professional I’ve twice required a TUE for exacerbated asthma, the last time was in 2014,” said Froome, who won his third Tour de France title in July. He took a bronze medal in the time trial at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last month.

The latest round of leaks identified 10 athletes from the United States, five from Germany, five from Britain, and one each from Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Romania and Russia.

WADA said Wednesday that the Russian hacking group known as Fancy Bears had illegally gained access to its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System, or “ADAMS,” and said it included confidential medical data.

“WADA is very mindful that this criminal attack, which to date has recklessly exposed personal data of 29 athletes, will be very distressing for the athletes that have been targeted and cause apprehension for all athletes that were involved in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games,” WADA director general Olivier Niggli said in a statement.

“To those athletes that have been impacted, we regret that criminals have attempted to smear your reputations in this way; and, assure you that we are receiving intelligence and advice from the highest level law enforcement and IT security agencies that we are putting into action.”

Niggli said WADA had “no doubt that these ongoing attacks are being carried out in retaliation against the agency, and the global anti-doping system,” because of independent investigations that exposed state-sponsored doping in Russia.

Russian officials have dismissed the claims as ridiculous.

“How can you prove that the hackers are Russian?” Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said through a translator during a visit to Athens earlier Wednesday. “You blame Russia for everything. It is very ‘in’ now.”

UK Anti-Doping Chief Executive, Nicole Sapstead said that her group “strongly condemns actions of this nature and we are appalled that five members of Team GB have had their private data published illegally online,” calling it “grossly unfair” to the athletes involved.

Last month, hackers obtained a database password for Russian runner Yuliya Stepanova, a whistleblower and key witness for the WADA investigations. She and her husband, a former official with the Russian national anti-doping agency, are now living at an undisclosed location in North America.

The International Olympic Committee said after Tuesday’s WADA statement that it “strongly condemns such methods which clearly aim at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes.”

“The IOC can confirm however that the athletes mentioned did not violate any anti-doping rules during the Olympic Games Rio 2016,” the Olympic body said.

The hackers, who have set up their own website, have not responded to messages seeking comment. Their chosen name, “Fancy Bears,” appears to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to a collection of Russia—linked hackers that security researchers have blamed for a recent spate of attacks and which WADA holds responsible for the current breach.

The group has proclaimed its allegiance to Anonymous, the loose-knit movement of online mischief-makers, and says it hacked WADA to show the world “how Olympic medals are won.”

“We’ll keep on telling the world about doping in elite sports,” the group said Thursday. “Stay tuned for new leaks.”</s>Russian hackers have released confidential information about dozens more Olympic athletes, the World Anti-Doping Agency says.

The new leak from cyber criminal group known as "Tsar Team" and "Fancy Bear" affects 25 athletes, including 10 from the U.S., WADA said late Wednesday.

WADA said the hackers stole the medical data of Olympic stars by breaking into its database. The anti-doping agency said the hackers were operating from Russia.

Earlier this week, the same group published information about four U.S. athletes, including gold medal gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Venus Williams.

The same group of Russian hackers is thought to have been behind the Democratic National Committee hack in June -- which released sensitive political information and led to the resignation of the committee chairman.

"WADA is very mindful that this criminal attack, which to date has recklessly exposed personal data of 29 athletes, will be very distressing for the athletes that have been targeted and cause apprehension for all athletes that were involved in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games," said Olivier Niggli, the agency's director general.

It didn't name the athletes whose information was released in the latest leak. Besides the 10 from the U.S., those affected include five from Britain, five from Germany, and one athlete each from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Romania and Russia.

On the Fancy Bears website, which CNN cannot confirm as legitimate, the hackers offered a message this week that said in part: "Greetings citizens of the world. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Fancy Bears' international hack team. We stand for fair play and clean sport."

They're expected to make more athletes' information public in the future, releasing the data "in batches," WADA said.

The initial leak earlier this week affected Biles, Williams and basketball player Elena Delle Donne, revealing their use of approved medications.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency said all of them had "done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication."

The Russian government has denied any involvement in the hack.

This is not the first time WADA has been targeted. The anti-doping agency database account of whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova was hacked in August. The runner helped expose the scale of Russian doping problems last year.

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WADA recommended banning all Russian athletes from the Rio 2016 games, after an independent report said the country operated a state-sponsored doping program during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Russian officials and athletes likened the move to Cold War era conflicts.

"WADA has no doubt that these ongoing attacks are being carried out in retaliation against the agency," Niggli said.

The organization has asked Russia "to do everything in their power to make it stop," he said. "Continued cyber-attacks emanating from Russia seriously undermine the work that is being carried out to rebuild a compliant anti-doping program in Russia."
The World Anti-Doping Agency reveals that Russian hackers broke into one of its databases and published confidential medical information on several prominent American female athletes who competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics, among them, gymnast Simone Biles, tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, and basketball player Elena Delle Donne. The named individuals all received "therapeutic use exemptions" from WADA allowing them to use otherwise banned substances to treat documented medical conditions.