Russia sends response to WADA concerns

Moscow, Oct 9 (AFP) Russia has responded in full to all questions raised by the World Anti-Doping Agency concerning "inconsistencies" in data from Moscow's anti-doping laboratory, according to sports minister Pavel Kolobkov. WADA confirmed that it had received the response which Kolobkov said late Tuesday addressed all of the concerns raised by the anti-doping watchdog.

"We are certain that we carried out all requirements," Kolobkov said in a statement quoted by TASS agency. "We are ready to continue cooperating to come out of this situation as quickly as possible so that there are no more questions for Russia."

Russia's Athletics Federation has been banned from international competition since 2015 over a vast state-run doping conspiracy, and the International Association of Athletics Federations last month extended the ban. Also last month WADA gave Russia three weeks to address the questions pertaining to data handed over by the Moscow lab from the years 2011-2015 when state-sponsored doping was prevalent.

On Tuesday, WADA said it "has received a response from the Russian authorities" which will be analysed by WADA and "independent forensic experts" who will then report back in due process. Russia stands to be declared non-compliant by WADA if its letter fails to explain why evidence of some positive tests handed over by a whistleblower do not show up in data provided by Moscow's anti-doping laboratory in January.

That would raise the possibility of a fresh ban on the country in the build-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. AFP SSC SSC SSC