Monaco - The head of the IAAF-backed body investigating doping in athletics said on Friday it was racing against time to analyse data from a Moscow laboratory at the centre of a drugs scandal.

"It's quite early days, the first phase is to check that we've got all the data. Then to authenticate it," Athletics Integrity Unit head Brett Clothier told .

"We are putting a lot of resources into doing it as quickly as possible.

"Now our job is to analyse it, first of all to see if it's everything that we are supposed to get and second of all to see if it's authentic and hasn't been manipulated. And finally to decide what cases, if any will be brought."

The AIU will make recommendations on Russia's progress on its approaching to fighting doping to the International Association of Athletics Federation's Task Force before the world championships that take place in Doha on September 27-October 6.

Russia is accused of operating a vast state-sponsored doping scandal from 2011-2015.

The IAAF suspended Russia from international competition in 2015 and has maintained its ban even as other sports have allowed Russia back into the fold.

The body has made the analysis of the data from the Moscow laboratory a pre-condition to allowing Russia to return to competition.

The Task Force said last month it had seen some positive developments from the Russian side, including the repayment of the €2.8 million it has cost the Task Force to do its work as well as the access granted to the Moscow laboratory.

But the Task Force also noted reports that Russian coaches who had been suspended for doping were continuing to train athletes.