Russia Handed 4-year Ban from All Major Sports by World Anti-Doping Agency

Russia has been handed a 4-year ban from all major sports by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This declaration from the international agency means that the Russian flag and anthem will not be allowed at events such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and football 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

But athletes who can prove they are unconnected to the doping scandal will be able to compete under a neutral flag. WADA's executive committee made the unanimous decision in a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.

It comes after Russia's Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) was dubbed non-compliant for influencing laboratory data handed over to investigators in January 2019.

Russia had to hand over data to WADA as a condition of its controversial reinstatement in 2018 after a three-year suspension for its vast state-sponsored doping scandal. WADA says Rusada has 21 days to appeal the ban. If it does so, the appeal will be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

A total of 168 Russian athletes competed under a neutral flag at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang after the country was banned following the 2014 Games, which it hosted in Sochi. Russia has been banned from competing as a nation in athletics since 2015. Despite the ban, Russia will be able to compete at Euro 2020 (in which St Petersburg will be a host city) as European football's governing body UEFA is not defined as a 'major event organization' with regards to rulings on anti-doping breaches.

By B.Alexishvili