Russia banned for 4 years from all major sporting events
   Date :10-Dec-2019

Russia banned for 4 years
 
LAUSANNE :
 
The Russian flag and anthem will not be allowed at any major sporting event. However, athletes who will be able to prove that they are untainted by the doping scandal will be able to compete under a neutral flag
 
RUSSIA has been handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), including next year’s Tokyo Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Meanwhile , an official linked to WADA said Russia can participate in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. After the development, the Russian flag and anthem will not be allowed at any major sporting event.
 
However, athletes who will be able to prove that they are untainted by the doping scandal will be able to compete under a neutral flag. The decision came after Russia’s Anti Doping Agency (RUSADA) was declared non-compliant for manipulating laboratory data handed over to investigators in January this year. Rusada now have a period of 21 days to appeal against the ban and if they do, the appeal will be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA Vice-President Linda Helleland, however, felt the four-year ban was “not enough”. “I wanted sanctions that can not be watered down. We owe it to the clean athletes to implement the sanctions as strongly as possible,” she was quoted as saying by the BBC. Russia have been banned from competing as a nation in athletics since 2015.
 
Despite the ban, Russia will be able to compete at Euro 2020, in which St. Petersburg will be a host city, as European football’s governing body UEFA is not defined as a ‘major event organisation’. Russia can play in 2022 World Cup qualifiers, says WADA-linked official: AN OFFICIAL linked to the World Anti-Doping Agency said on Monday Russia can participate in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup despite receiving a four-year ban from major global sporting events.
 
WADA’s executive committee placed the suspension on Russia earlier in the day after accusing Moscow of falsifying laboratory doping data handed over to investigators this year. “Because the qualifiers don’t decide the world champion, Russia can take part. The decision applies to the World Cup tournament because it decides the world champion,” said Jonathan Taylor, Chairman of WADA’s Compliance Review Committee. “FIFA would come with some new proposals,” he added. World football’s governing body said earlier on Monday it was seeking clarification about the extent of the suspension. Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup.