Later in the day, WADA said it had received the required response from the Russian authorities.
"WADA can confirm it has received a response from the Russian authorities to a list of detailed and technical questions WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) raised around the nature of the data that were retrieved from the Moscow Laboratory in January 2019. The questions were sent to give the authorities an opportunity to explain a number of inconsistencies, in line with WADA’s decision on 17 September 2019 to open a formal compliance procedure against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency", the agency said in a Tuesday statement.
A non-compliance procedure was launched against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in September, in light of allegations of data manipulation. WADA gave RUSADA three weeks to provide an explanation.
A doping scandal erupted in late 2014 after freelance German journalist Hajo Seppelt concocted a spurious plot in a controversial documentary about alleged doping in Russian sports that was then broadcast by Germany's ARD, sparking a backlash from the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) and WADA officials. Following the release of the notorious documentary, WADA's independent commission issued a report accusing Russia of numerous breaches of global anti-doping regulations.
In September 2018, WADA reinstated RUSADA as being compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, following an almost three-year suspension.
The IAAF has, however, denied many Russian athletes from participating in international competitions due to alleged anti-doping violations. Those who were tested as clean were allowed to compete but under neutral status only: no Russian uniform, anthem or national flag is allowed during competition.
In late September, the WADA executive committee met in Tokyo to discuss alleged RUSADA data manipulation.
The UK-based media broke the news earlier, citing sources, that Russia's participation in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in 2020 is currently on the agenda among senior officials of the International Olympics Committee (IOC).
Russian officials have repeatedly denied that there is a state-run doping program.
