From Inside the Games
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed their three-person team has arrived in Moscow and will start working to extract crucial data from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) Laboratory tomorrow.
WADA announced on Monday (January 7) that a new team would head to the Russian capital this week after authorities there reportedly resolved an issue surrounding the certification of equipment.
WADA had initially hoped to take control of the Laboratory Information Management System before a December 31 deadline, on the assumption it will help catch more cheats.
On the first attempt last month their five-person team was blocked by the Russian authorities, who claimed their equipment had not been certified under the country’s law.
Access to the facility before December 31 was a compulsory condition set when the WADA Executive Committee controversially lifted the suspension of RUSADA on September 20 and with the deadline having now elapsed, calls have been made for them to be declared non-compliant again.
A smaller expert team has now returned to Russia with WADA claiming the equipment issue has been resolved.