WADA May Bar Russia From 2020 Olympics if It Receives Fake Data From Moscow Lab

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Tuesday that it would be confirming the authenticity of the data received from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) for two-three months.
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"WADA's Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) Department, in cooperation with independent data forensic experts, will seek to confirm the authenticity of the data. This second phase may take two to three months," the press release reads.

WADA added that the monitoring of RUSADA would continue.

"In parallel, WADA will continue monitoring RUSADA to ensure that it is effective, robust and independent in its operational decisions and activities; that it demonstrates good governance, accountability and transparency; and that it operates in an environment that is free from undue external influence," the organization said.

READ MORE: RUSADA Head Asks WADA to Confirm Russian Anti-Doping Agency's Status

At the same time, WADA President Craig Reedie said  that some members of the WADA Executive Committee (ExCo) had been disappointed by the fact that Russia had missed the deadline to provide access to Moscow anti-doping laboratory, which was at the heart of a doping scandal, but had agreed that it was not a reason to introduce sanctions.

"Several members of the ExCo voiced their disappointment that the deadline had been missed but agreed that no sanction in that regard should be imposed. Above all, we want to ensure that those who cheated are held to account. That is what the September ExCo decision was all about, and I hope athletes and others see that we are making good progress in that regard," Reedie said, as quoted on WADA website.

WADA Athlete Committee Calls for Russian Anti-Doping Agency to Be Banned
On September 20, 2018, the ExCo voted to reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) as compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code following a doping scandal. The agency required Russia to provide access to the data and samples of Moscow anti-doping laboratory by December 31, 2018.

However, the deadline was missed, which led to several Western countries calling on WADA to declare RUSADA non-complaint with the World Anti-Doping Code.

The parties have later agreed on a new attempt to gather the data. On January 17, WADA reported that its experts had successfully completed the work on copying the database of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory.

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