WADA experts begin extracting Russian lab data: minister

MOSCOW: 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.

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.