Russia has been banned from all major sporting events by World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA)
The agency unanimously agreed to ban Russia from international sports which means it will not participate in Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics and Football’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Athletes who prove they are untainted by the doping scandal will however be able to compete under a neutral flag.
The ban also prohibits the country from hosting international events.
In a report by the New York Times, the agency said Russia was given an opportunity to put its house in order but failed to do so.
“For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport,” the agency said in a statement. “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.”
Russia Anti Doping Agency (RUSADA) was declared non-compliant for manipulating laboratory data handed over to investigators in January 2019.
It had to handover data to WADA as a condition of its controversial reinstatement in 2018 after a three-year suspension for its vast state-sponsored doping scandal.
RUSADA has 21 days to appeal against the ban and if it does so the appeal will be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
