LAUSANNE (AFP) - Swimming's governing body Fina on Wednesday said it was moving the samples taken at this year's world championships away from the Moscow laboratory at the centre of Russia's athletics scandal.

On Tuesday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) suspended the Moscow Anti-Doping Centre after an independent report revealed the laboratory's director had ordered close to 1,500 samples to be deliberately destroyed.

Fina has now said the 645 samples from August's world swimming championships in Kazan, which were being stored at the controversial Moscow facility, will now be kept at a Wada-certified laboratory in Barcelona.

Although there were no positive drug tests from the world championships, samples must remain intact in the event that they are needed for future analysis.

Fina also said that all drug samples collected in out-of-competition visits and stored in the Moscow laboratory will also be removed.

"Of course this is a difficult time for sport, and as sports people we at Fina are shocked and saddened by Wada's Independent Commission report," said Fina president Julio Maglione.

"Fina upholds a strong and unequivocal stance on the practice of doping as we aim to eradicate doping from Aquatics.

"Fina is committed to do everything necessary to become the world's cleanest sport."