World Anti-Doping Agency revokes approval of Moscow anti-doping lab

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced Saturday that its executive committee has revoked the “approved” status for the Russian national anti-doping laboratory in Moscow to handle blood sample analysis. WADA said the committee voted Friday to endorse a disciplinary committee recommendation to strip the Moscow lab of handling blood samples for failing to comply with International Standard for Laboratories (ISL) regulations and its Code of Ethics. The Moscow lab, which was already provisionally suspended since January 2020, was notified of the decision, which keeps it ineligible to carry out any work related to the analysis of blood samples in connection with athlete biological passports or any anti-doping analysis for organizations compliant with WADA’s code. The lab can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of its receipt of the decision. Following last year’s provisional suspension, the disciplinary committee was required to make a recommendation to the WADA executive committee regarding the lab’s status for blood work in athlete biological passports. The committee study was delayed until CAS rendered a decision last December in a lab appeal. WADA requested to reopen the revocation disciplinary proceedings in January. WADA said that based on documents provided by the parties, the committee found lab personnel manipulation of data was “detrimental to the anti-doping program” and a serious violation that justified the revocation of accreditation.