World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) communications director Catherine MacLean, WADA president Craig Reedie, WADA director general Olivier Niggli and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) CEO Ben McDevitt attend a news conference prior to the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Photo: AFP

The World Anti-Doping ­Agency (WADA) said on Monday its compliance arm will review allegations that Russia manipulated key data at the center of its state-sponsored doping scandal by the end of November.

In a statement, WADA said it had received responses from Russian authorities to a series of "detailed and technical questions" by the agency's Intelligence and Investigations Department.

Russia handed over thousands of files and samples from its Moscow anti-doping laboratory in January, a key condition for its reinstatement by WADA in 2018.

However, last month it emerged that some of the files had been manipulated, raising the prospect of a fresh suspension of Russian athletes.

Last week, Russia's anti-doping chief, Yuri Ganus, said he expected the country to be banned from next year's Tokyo Olympic Games and the next Winter Olympics, blaming unnamed Russian officials for doctoring the data handed over to WADA.

WADA said Monday that Russia's responses to its queries would be reported to the agency's Compliance Review Committee (CRC), which would in turn decide whether to recommend action against Russia.

WADA said while no "fixed timeline" could be given for the process, the CRC would likely consider the investigation team's findings "before the end of November." 

WADA's executive committee would then meet "as soon as possible" thereafter to discuss what action to take.