A committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency has recommended that Russia’s anti-drug regulators be declared non-compliant, which could result in the country being booted from the Tokyo Olympics in the same manner of Pyeongchang 2018, where the country’s flag and anthem were excised from the Games, although certain athletes were allowed to compete under a neutral banner.
The New York Times reported on Monday that WADA’s compliance and review committee suggested a four-year ban of Russia from all global sports, which would imperil its participation in not just the next two Olympics, but also soccer’s European championship this summer and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. WADA’s executive committee is expected to adopt the recommendations at a meeting on Dec. 9, according to multiple reports.
These developments are not at all surprising to anyone who has followed this story since Russia’s state-sponsored doping scheme was first exposed in 2015, but they are also a product of WADA’s own making. The anti-doping regulator, which is supposed to be ruthless in its pursuit of clean sport, has a consistent habit of seeking compromise when harsh sanctions are required.
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