Lausanne. Russia will be excluded from the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. The International Sports Court (CAS) halved the four-year ban imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency Wada in its judgment on the appeal process. Since the penalty will not come into force until the verdict is announced on Thursday, no Russian team recognizable as such will be allowed to participate in the next two Olympic and Paralympic Games and probably not in the World Cup of Footballers in Qatar in 2022.
Neutral athletes admitted
During this period, unaffected athletes in the country can compete as neutral athletes at major events. To do this, they have to adhere to certain conditions. The Russian anthem may not be played or sung, and the Russian flag may not be hoisted. The name »Russia« may appear on the clothing as long as it is no larger than the words »Neutral Athlete«. Whether the athletes also have to prove that they have not benefited from the manipulation of the Russian doping system in order to participate, as required by Wada, could not be inferred from the Cas’s first statement on Thursday.
The trigger for the ban was that Russia had manipulated doping control data from 2012 to 2015 from the Moscow laboratory. These data contained evidence of sports fraud committed by numerous Russian athletes, which had been systematically controlled and covered up with government help.
Russia’s anti-doping agency Rusada was formally declared by Wada on December 19, 2019 for four years to be “non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code”. Russia did not accept this and called the Cas. The doping scandal that came to light in 2014 has been preoccupying the sporting world for years, with around 1,000 athletes allegedly involved in the doping system. 15,000 files alone were then deleted and at least 145 athletes were successfully protected. The World Anti-Doping Agency first suspended the Rusada in 2015.
In the course of the current Cas judgment, Russia is also not allowed to apply to host major sporting events such as world championships for two years. Competitions already awarded to Russia must go to other hosts.
Appointment possible, little chance of success
In a hearing before the three CAS judges, the Wada and Russia presented their positions on the legal dispute in detail at the beginning of November. An appeal can be lodged against the judgment at the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. The chances of success before the highest court in the country are low, however, as it only intervenes in the event of procedural errors and violations of human rights and does not judge the legal interpretation of the Cas. Agencies / nd Comment on page 8
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