MASSIVE: WADA bans Russia from all major sporting events including Olympics for 4 years

In a significant development to the case, the World Anti-Doping Agency has handed Russia a four-year ban from all major sporting events. This means the country will not be able to participate in the upcoming mega event of 2020, the Tokyo Olympics. The ban will also disallow the country from participating in the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup to be held in Qatar. This comes after WADA's executive committee meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland that decided unanimously to hand Russia the ban. This comes after Russia's Anti Doping Agency was declared non-compliant for manipulating laboratory data handed over to investigators in January 2019. However, athletes who can prove that they are untainted by the doping scandal will be able to compete under a neutral flag.

21 days to challenge WADA ruling

On Monday, WADA stated that Rusada now has 21 days to appeal against the ban and if done, the appeal will be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). If the challenge is struck down by the CAS, Russia will be banned from all the major sporting events apart from the Euro 2020, which is to be hosted by St Petersburg as UEFA is not defined as a 'major event organisation' with regards to the European football governing body's rulings on anti-doping breachings.

The 2014 Sochi doping case

Soon after the Summer Olympics in 2014 that Russia had hosted, reports had emerged that Russian participants were aided by a wide state-sponsored doping program. Following which, the country had been handed a ban from all the major sporting events. However, the ban was reinstated back in 2018, allowing Russia to compete at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The lifting of the ban was labelled as one of the most controversial decisions.

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