• Team was forced to leave Russia last month • Rusada could still be punished, says Sir Craig Reedie

World Anti-Doping Agency experts hope to finally get their hands on secret Russian doping data after a row over specialist IT equipment was resolved.

Wada’s team will fly back to Moscow on Wednesday having been forced to abort their original trip because their equipment, which was reportedly able to extract data from wiped hard drives, was not certified under Russian law.

The news was welcomed by Wada’s president, Sir Craig Reedie, who said: “If the mission is successful in acquiring the data, it will break a long impasse and will potentially lead to many cases being actioned.”

Wada athletes body adds to pressure for new ban on Russia Read more

However, Reedie confirmed that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency – which controversially had its ban lifted in September in the face of widespread hostility from athletes and other anti-doping agencies – could still be sanctioned for missing the deadline to hand over the data.

“While Wada is obliged to give every opportunity to Rusada, we are continuing to act on the basis of the 31 December deadline having been missed, with all the consequences that failure could bring,” said Reedie, who confirmed that Wada’s independent compliance committee would discuss the case on 14 January.

If Rusada is suspended it would lead to Russia being banned from hosting sporting events. However, the latest news is bound to be treated with scepticism from those in the anti-doping world who continue to believe that Wada is bending over backwards to help Russia.

Last week, Travis Tygart, the chief executive of US Anti-Doping, blamed Wada for being soft on Russia and for having concocted a secret deal with the country’s authorities in September to let Rusada back in. “The situation is a total joke and an embarrassment for Wada and the global anti-doping system,” he said.

Wada maintains that it needs the data to build strong cases against cheats and to exonerate other athletes suspected of having participated in state-sponsored Russian doping. According to a report published by Professor Richard McLaren more than 1,000 Russian athletes across more than 30 sports were involved in the process.