Russia Banned from Sporting Events for 4 Years over Doping Scandal

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has imposed a four-year ban on Russia from participating in all global sporting events, including the 2020 Olympics and the 2022 World Cup, due to the scandal of doping offenses.

The ban comes after the WADA has anonymously voted for punishing Russia after proving guilty in running a systemic doping program and fabricating crucial laboratory knowledge.

Evidence of wide-spread Russian doping was first revealed by Wada four years ago with a report claiming that at least 643 positive tests had been hidden by authorities. That resulted in the suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation (RUSAF) and 111 inpidual athletes being banned from the 2016 games in Rio.

Last year, WADA made the controversial decision to reinstate the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) on the condition that it complied with requests to share its laboratory results. Those results were subsequently found to have been tampered with and led to renewed calls for punishment.

If Russia, as is likely, does choose to appeal the punishment, it will subsequently be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Sports activities Minister Pavel Kolobkov's final month attributed the discrepancies within the laboratory knowledge to technical points.

The punishment, nonetheless, leaves the door open for Russian athletes to compete at main worldwide sporting occasions without their flag or anthem for 4 years, as was the case in the course of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Some Russian officers, in the meantime, have branded the decision for sanctions unfair and likened it to broader Western makes an attempt to carry again the nation.

If RUSADA appeals to the sanctions endorsed by WADA’s government committee, the case will probably be referred to the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), WADA has mentioned.