WADA hit Russia with blanket ban of sports
RUSSIA has been banned from the 2020 Olympics and the 2022 football World Cup.
The World Anti-Doping Agency on Monday confirmed a four-year ban from all major global sporting events, after considering recommendations from its independent compliance review committee (CRC) that Russia had manipulated laboratory doping data.
WADA said the decision was unanimous and its president Sir Craig Reedie accused Russia of choosing “deception and denial” rather than getting its house in order.
Russia has 21 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while individual Russian athletes untainted by the scandal will be able to compete independently under a neutral flag.
Reedie said: “The ExCo’s (executive committee) strong decision today shows WADA’s determination to act resolutely in the face of the Russian doping crisis, thanks to the agency’s robust investigatory capability, the vision of the CRC, and WADA’s recently acquired ability to recommend meaningful sanctions via the compliance standard which entered into effect in April 2018.
“Combined, these strengths have enabled the ExCo to make the right decisions at the right time.
“For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport. The blatant breach by the Russian authorities of RUSADA’s reinstatement conditions, approved by the ExCo in
September 2018, demanded a robust response.
“That is exactly what has been delivered today. Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and rejoin the global anti-doping community for the good of its athletes and of the integrity of sport, but it chose
instead to continue in its stance of deception and denial.
“As a result, the WADA ExCo has responded in the strongest possible terms, while protecting the rights of Russian athletes that can prove that they were not involved and did not benefit from these fraudulent acts.”