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Doping scandal in Russian sports

WADA says it received additional answers from Russia on Moscow lab data

Responses are currently being assessed by WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department (I&I) and independent forensic experts

© Sergei Bobylyov/TASS

MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) received from the Russian sports ministry and anti-doping authority RUSADA additional answers to a number of questions regarding the Moscow lab, the WADA press service said on Monday.

Read also

Russian, WADA experts postpone meeting on Moscow lab’s data inconsistencies

According to the WADA statement, the responses are currently being assessed by WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department (I&I) and independent forensic experts, who will report to the independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) in due course.

"Given the highly technical nature of this investigation and the volume of complex material being assessed, no fixed timeline can be set at this stage," the statement reads.

"However, at the moment, it is anticipated that the CRC will be in a position to consider WADA I&I’s report before the end of November," WADA said. "That being the case, the ExCo - under the chairmanship of WADA President Sir Craig Reedie whose term of office runs until 31 December 2019 - would meet as soon as possible thereafter to discuss any CRC recommendation."

RUSADA Deputy Director General Margarita Pakhnotskaya said the WADA Executive Committee meeting in in Katowice (Poland) on November 4 will consider the Russian issue even if it gets no relevant recommendations from the organization’s Compliance Review Committee. However, no decisions on RUSADA will be made in the absence of recommendations.

On September 23, WADA launched an inquiry into the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) after inconsistencies in the Moscow lab databases emerged. WADA gave Russia three weeks to explain this situation. On October 8, the Russian side sent a letter to WADA containing answers and explanations given to 31 questions, which arose based on technical and investigation reports. Russian experts and WADA were supposed to discuss the issue at a joint meeting on October 23, but the event was later postponed indefinitely.

Chair of the WADA Compliance Review Committee Jonathan Taylor earlier told TASS that the issue of imposing possible sanctions on RUSADA could be made at an urgent meeting of the WADA Executive Committee after November 7 after WADA’s new president assumes the position. It was previously suggested that the ultimate decision on the RUSADA issue would be reached at the WADA Executive Committee meeting in Katowice on November 4.

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