Russia has been banned from the next summer and winter Olympic Games and the 2022 World Cup after the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the Court of Arbitration for Sport found their Anti-Doping Agency non-compliant.
A three-judge panel unanimously agreed that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) failed to provide authentic drug-test data upon request by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), although the two-year ban is half the length requested by WADA.
It means the Russian name, flag and anthem will not be allowed at either Tokyo 2020 or Beijing 2022, and should Russia qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, they will have to compete under a neutral name.
Russia will also be banned from the Paralympic Games in Tokyo next summer, as well as any world championship events that are organised by a WADA signatory until the sanction concludes on December 16, 2022.
RUSADA will only be reinstated after the ban if it respects and observes the sanctions imposed, pays all related fines and contributions and becomes compliant with the WADA code, the CAS added.
They will not be eligible to host or bid for any Olympic, Paralympic or world championship events during the length of the ban, and the ruling states that any hosting rights that have already been awarded to them should be withdrawn if the organising governing body is registered to WADA.
However, the CAS verdict did state that “Russia” can be displayed on the clothing of a neutral athlete as long as the words “neutral athlete” or something equivalent is present in the same side, and the colours of the Russian flag can also be used.
Athletes who had their data manipulated or covered up will be cleared to compete under a neutral banner as long as they are not serving any active ban, which goes against WADA’s request to impose a vetting process that would have required them to prove they were not part of the doping scheme.
A CAS statement said: “This panel has imposed consequences to reflect the nature and seriousness of the non-compliance and to ensure that the integrity of sport against the scourge of doping is maintained.
“The consequences which the panel has decided to impose are not as extensive as those sought by WADA. This should not, however, be read as any validation of the conduct of RUSADA or the Russian authorities.
“In making its orders, the panel is limited by the powers granted under the applicable law.
“It has considered matters of proportionality and, in particular, the need to effect cultural change and encourage the next generation of Russian athletes to participate in clean international sport.”