Today, WADA dropped a huge announcement. Russia have been banned from all international sporting events for four years, a ruling that would see them miss out on next year's Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The World Anti-Doping Agency voted unanimously to suspend the nation from international sport due to doping offenses, but the European country has 21 days to appeal the ban, which they likely will.
Fortunately for Denis Cheryshev and Co, they will be permitted to participate in Euro 2020. The 2018 World Cup hosts qualified for the upcoming European Championship as runners-up in Group I and are one of the host nations.
WADA Executive Committee unanimously endorses four-year period of non-compliance for the Russian Anti-Doping Agency:https://t.co/K8QjAz7u4R
— WADA (@wada_ama) December 9, 2019
However, this ruling will bar them from participating in Qatar 2022 alongside next year's Olympics in Tokyo. This is the most severe punishment handed to the country as WADA look to come down hard on Russia over the accused systemic doping program and the deleting of key laboratory evidence.
Sir Craig Reedie, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, explained this decision which was reached in a special meeting at the International Olympic Committee's headquarters in Lausanne. He said:
"For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport. Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and re-join 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."
Russia have long been accused of doping, with WADA revealing back in 2015 that they had hidden as many as 643 positive tests. The Russian Athletics Federation was subsequently banned from Rio 2016 but the Russian anti-doping agency was reinstated last year. However, the organization was found to have given tampered laboratory results.
Russian athletes will be able to complete in the Olympics next year under a neutral banner, as they did during the World Athletics Championships earlier this year, given they provide evidence of being drug-free. Any appeal made would likely be handled by the CAS.
