Extracting Moscow lab data taking longer than expected - WADA

World Anti-Doping Agency experts are taking longer than expected to extract testing data from the old Moscow anti-doping laboratory, a spokesperson for the agency told AFP.

The WADA team returned to Moscow last Wednesday, after Russian authorities missed a December deadline to provide access to the lab. When the WADA experts began extracting data on Thursday, it was estimated that the task would take three days.

"No limit was put on the duration of the mission. It is taking longer than had been originally estimated, but the team is facing no specific issues or difficulties in carrying out their task," said the spokesperson on Tuesday, the second and final day of a meeting of its Compliance Review Committee (CRC).

"The large quantity and high complexity of the data, as well as the fact the servers and hard drives being accessed are not all brand new, means it is taking longer than originally anticipated."
"At every stage, the CRC has been kept up to date on latest developments in Moscow and it will complete and send its report only once the technical team has concluded its work."