Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov has expressed confidence that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) experts who paid yet another visit to Russia this week will finally retrieve doping data from a Moscow laboratory.
The sports official vowed that all the obstacles and technical issues which had prevented doping officials from copying the lab data during their previous visit had been eliminated.
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“The WADA delegation arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, and today doping experts have got down to work [in Moscow anti-doping laboratory],” Kolobkov told RT.
“This is a joint group of specialists comprised of Russian and WADA experts who are also cooperating with representatives of the Russian Investigative Committee.
“The delegation members have started working with the necessary equipment to copy the laboratory doping data. All the technical and structural aspects were settled before the WADA experts’ visit and fully correspond with Russian legislation and WADA demands,” he added.
The minister stressed that the data extraction process is expected to be completed before January 14, when WADA’s Compliance Review Committee is due to meet to discuss the situation surrounding the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).
“WADA experts were provided with opportunities to receive all the information from the laboratory. There was a technical issue regarding the equipment necessary to extract the data,” Kolobkov added in explanation as to why the WADA delegation had failed to receive the data in December.
“We have settled all the issues with WADA, the equipment which will be used for copying the data fully complies with requirements stipulated by WADA and the Russian Investigative Committee. The equipment has already been checked by the doping experts, so I have no doubt that the WADA mission will be accomplished,” the minister added.
Kolobkov also stressed that the Russian sports authorities were ready to fulfill all the requirements stipulated by the world doping watchdog in September, when RUSADA was reinstated after a three-year suspension.
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