Reedie speaks out as Russia misses deadline

WORLD Anti-Doping Agency president Sir Craig Reedie has been “bitterly disappointed” by Russia missing the deadline to hand over data from its anti-doping laboratory in Moscow.

In September, WADA lifted its suspension of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), imposed in November 2015, pending the meeting of conditions in a “roadmap to compliance”.

One condition of the suspension of RUSADA being lifted was to allow independent access to raw data held at the Moscow lab, but on December 21 WADA admitted it had been unable to “complete its mission”.

Reedie said: “I am bitterly disappointed that data extraction from the former Moscow Laboratory has not been completed by the date agreed.”

And US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart has urged WADA to “stop being played by the Russians”, describing the episode as “a total joke and an embarrassment for WADA and the global anti-doping system”.

WADA will now refer the matter to the independent compliance review committee, which meets on January 14.

WADA confirmed it had written to Russia’s Minister of Sport Pavel Kolobkov and the director general of RUSADA, Yury Ganus, to “officially notify them of the situation and to remind them of the next steps in the process”.

If the RUSADA is declared non-compliant, its nation’s athletes will again be banned from international competition, but Russia’s sports minister on Saturday said a deal had been reached.

Any compromise in extending the deadline is sure to be met with criticism by athletes and officials.