RUSADA Once Again On The Verge Of Suspension

Russia’s Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) "is again on the verge of suspension" after a WADA inspection team visiting a Moscow laboratory "was denied access to raw data to complete its full reinstatement," WADA said on Friday, according to Steve Keating of REUTERS. The five-member WADA team "had spent a week in Russia but left the Moscow lab and returned home frustrated" and without having retrieved any of the data in the Laboratory Information Management System "it had been promised access to." If RUSADA is found to be non-compliant, Russian athletes "could again be on the outside looking in" ahead of Tokyo 2020. Russian authorities said that the inspection team’s equipment "was not certified under Russian law." The inspection team "will now prepare a formal report" which will be sent to the independent Compliance Review Committee. The CRC will meet on Jan. 14-15, when RUSADA’s code compliance status "will again be considered" (REUTERS, 12/21).