Russia stood accused of the “biggest sports scandal the world has ever seen” as it began its four-year ban from all major sporting events.
World Anti-Doping Agency chiefs took the unanimous decision to impose the suspension after their Russian counterparts were declared non-compliant for falsifying laboratory data handed over to investigators. Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said the ban was part of “chronic anti-Russian hysteria” but that view got short shrift from Wada President Sir Craig Reedie.
“For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport,” said the Scot, adding that Russia’s “blatant breach demanded a robust response.
“This entire fiasco created by Russia has cheated far too many athletes of their dreams and rightful careers.
“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 executive committee 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.”
The failure to impose a blanket ban on Russia competing in international sport was condemned by US anti-doping chief Travis Tygart as a “devastating blow” to clean athletes.
Wada vice-president Linda Helleland, a Norwegian politician, admitted that she was “not happy” her organisation had not gone further given that “this is the biggest sports scandal the world has ever seen.
“I wanted sanctions that cannot be watered down. We owe it to the clean athletes to implement the sanctions as strongly as possible.”
By stopping short, Russia will still be able to compete in – and even host a group – at Euro 2020 next summer. Their footballers will even be able to play at the 2020 World Cup, albeit on a “neutral” basis.
But Grigory Rodchenkov, the former Russian anti-doping official who blew the whistle on his country’s state-sponsored doping programme, said: “Finally, fraud, lies and falsifications of unspeakable proportions have been punished.”
