WADA bans Russia from international sports for 4 years including Tokyo Olympics 2020

Russia has been unanimously banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday from participating in international sports for four years over state-sponsored doping violations. 

This ban also means Russia would miss the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Winter Olympics Games and Football World Cup in 2022.

However, the athletes not part of the cheating scheme will be allowed to participate under a neutral flag.

The WADA’s board had held the special meeting close to the International Olympic Committee’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, reports the New York Times.

The verdict comes after Russia’s Anti Doping Agency (RUSADA) was declared non-compliant for manipulating laboratory data handed over to investigators in January 2019.

RUSADA has 21 days to appeal the ban which will be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

WADA Vice-President Linda Helleland said the ban was “not enough”. “I wanted sanctions that can not be watered down,” she said.

“We owe it to the clean athletes to implement the sanctions as strongly as possible,” she was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Russia was banned from competing as a nation in athletics since 2015. Earlier in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, a total of 168 Russian athletes had competed under a neutral flag after Russia was banned following the 2014 Games - which it had hosted in Sochi. Russian athletes won 33 medals in Sochi, 13 of which were gold.

Despite the ban, Russia will be able to compete at Euro 2020 – which will be hosted by St Petersburg.