From Inside the Games

Tampering of the Moscow Laboratory data carried out by Russia could hamper the prosecution of up to 145 cases stemming from the facility, a report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) intelligence and investigations (I&I) department has warned.

According to the I&I report, a copy of which has been obtained by the New York Times and Associated Press, the manipulation of the data had “materially prejudiced the ability to pursue” the cases.

A source close to WADA confirmed the figure and told insidethegames some could be salvaged, but many others would fail because of the tampering.

The figure is nearly half of the 298 athletes identified as having the most suspicious samples in the data retrieved from the Moscow Laboratory

WADA claimed in September the 47 cases sent to the relevant International Federations so far were unaffected by claims Russia manipulated the data before it was handed over to the global watchdog in January.

These allegations were substantiated by the I&I during its investigation, while the Compliance Review Committee (CRC) revealed Russian authorities had also fabricated evidence.

Changes had been made to the data after the Executive Committee ordered the country to hand it over as part of the reinstatement criteria for the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), the CRC said.

Reports claim some of these deletions coincided with a WADA team arriving in Moscow in January to retrieve the data, a key tool in building cases against athletes involved in the state-sponsored doping scheme.

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