[Sport] Russia will not be able to use a name or flag in two Olympic Games

[EvKirito]

                                                        

 

In this Feb. 23, 2014 file photo, the national flag of Russia, right, flies next to the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

 

 

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled on Thursday that Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and anthem in the next two Olympic Games or any world championships that take place in the next two years.

 

The CAS also determined that Russia will not be able to host any sporting event for two years.

 

Russian athletes and teams will be able to compete in next year's Tokyo Olympics and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, as well as world championships, including the Qatar 2022 World Cup, if they were not involved in doping or cover-up cases. of positive cases of doping.

 

The sanctions are less than the four-year veto that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had proposed.

 

 

The sanction imposed on Russia removes them from the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 and the Winter Games in Beijing, in 2022, as well as in world championships, including the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

 

A Small Victory for Russia is the name for the delegation proposed for important events. The name "Russia" may be used on uniforms as long as the phrase "Neutral Athlete" or "Neutral Delegation" stands out equally, said the CAS.

 

Still, the three court judges imposed the harshest sanctions on Russia since allegations of state-backed doping emerged and cover-ups came to light after the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

 

The case centered on allegations that Russian authorities tampered with a database from a Moscow testing laboratory before handing it over to WADA investigators last year. The original database is believed to have contained evidence to penalize persistent doping violations.

 

The CAS process was formally between WADA and the Russian anti-doping agency. Last year the Russian agency, known as Rusada, was found not responsible for the allegations - a decision upheld Thursday by the three judges.

 

However, the Rusada will have to pay $ 1.27 million to the AMA.

 

During a four-day hearing in Lausanne last month, the Russian athletes and their lawyers came forward as third parties arguing that they should not be punished for fouls committed by government officials who are not involved in the sport.

 

The delivery to WADA of a laboratory database by December 2018 was a fundamental condition for Rusada to be reinstated three months before the date on which a prior veto from the anti-doping community would be lifted.

 

Researchers at the AMA in Moscow received the information a month later. Evidence from doping tests and email messages appeared to have been deleted or altered, and informants were used.

 

The ruling also allows Russian government officials, including President Vladimir Putin, to attend major sporting events if invited by the host country's authorities.