Russia Suspected Of Manipulating Doping Data From Moscow Lab - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2019) Russia is suspected of manipulating the data of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, a non-compliance procedure has been launched against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), German ARD television journalist Hajo Seppelt reported on Friday.

"ARD Doping Editorial Team breaking news: RUS under suspicion to have manipulated Moscow lab data (provided to @wada_ama early 2019). @wada_ama Compliance Review Committee will inform WADA Exco at Tokyo meeting next week. "Non Compliance" procedure already initiated," Seppelt wrote in his Twitter blog.

In 2016, a number of Russian athletes and sports officials were accused of running an institutional doping conspiracy during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. As a result of the 2016 scandal, many Russian athletes were banned from subsequent championships. In 2018, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the appeals of 28 of them. On July 12 of this year, the CAS lifted the lifetime Olympic ban from former Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.

Russian officials have categorically denied the very possibility of the existence of a state-run doping program in the country, but have admitted there were some isolated cases of doping abuse.

In September 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reinstated the RUSADA as a body compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code following an almost three-year suspension.

One of the conditions for RUSADA's reinstatement was to provide access to sealed doping samples and electronic data in the RUSADA's Moscow laboratory. In April, WADA said it had retrieved over 2,000 samples from the Moscow laboratory and sent them to an accredited lab outside Russia. In May, WADA reported that the data copied from the Moscow laboratory showed a high percentage of authenticity despite the fact that its verification had not been completed.