World Anti-Doping agency (WADA) experts return to Russia to investigate doping data

WADA team will access  the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s laboratory in Moscow, nine days after an initial deadline.

A three-person WADA expert team is scheduled to arrive in Russia on 9 January to access and extract data from the Laboratory Information Management System and the underlying analytical data generated by the former Moscow Laboratory.

WADA President Sir Craig Reedie said: “While WADA is obliged under the ISCCS to give every opportunity to RUSADA, we are continuing to act on the basis of the 31 December deadline having been missed, with all the consequences that failure could bring. This week’s mission to Moscow is not only about us following due process and precedent. If the mission is successful in acquiring the data, it will break a long impasse and will potentially lead to many cases being actioned. Regardless, in the short-term, the ExCo (WADA’s Executive Committee) will be considering whether RUSADA should maintain Code-compliance status alongside anti-doping organizations of other major sporting nations that enjoy the same.”

Please click here to view WADA’s full statement.