Russia’s sports minister on Thursday said that experts
from the World Anti-Doping Agency have begun procedures to copy data of
the anti-doping laboratory in Moscow, their second attempt to do so.
2018, WADA conditionally lifted a ban on the Russian Anti-Doping Agency
(RUSADA), after it was suspended for a state-sponsored doping operation
The team of WADA experts arrived in Russia
Wednesday to complete the promised extraction of data, including results
of doping tests, part of the long-running attempt by Moscow to clear
accusations of state-sponsored doping.
The experts “started working with a group of Russian experts today”, sports minister Pavel Kolobkov told Russian press agencies.
Representatives of the tainted Moscow lab as well as Russian investigators were also present, he said.
“They began the work to assemble equipment,” Kolobkov added.
“The work is carried out in full coordination. We have no doubt that the process will continue as planned.”
WADA previously came to Moscow in December but could not retrieve the data due to an unspecified problem with equipment.
Moscow subsequently missed the December 31
deadline to give WADA full access to the lab data vital to implicate or
clear athletes in doping cases.
Kolobkov assured Thursday that the problem had been fixed and argued that the delay was not Russia’s fault.
In September, WADA conditionally lifted a ban
on the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), after it was suspended for a
state-sponsored doping operation.
This paved the way for Russian athletes to
return to competition across all sports. But one of the conditions was
data access by the end of 2018.
WADA’s leadership has been strongly criticised
over its decision to lift Russia’s suspension before obtaining access
to the Moscow lab.
The International Association of Athletics
Federations said it would maintain Russia’s ban from track and field.
The Russian athletics teams were barred from the 2016 Rio Olympics and
2017 World Championships in London.