A decision to cut a drug ban on Russia to two years has been condemned around the world

A decision to halve a four-year ban on Russia and its athletes for doping has been slammed by Australian integrity officials.

Russian athletes could still compete at the Tokyo Olympics after a four-year ban imposed by WADA for doping was halved. Picture: Brendan Smialowski / AFP

The peak Australian sports integrity body has slammed the decision to halve a four-year ban on Russia imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency for systematic and widespread doping.

Sport Integrity Australia CEO David Sharpe said the overnight decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) demanded rules around anti-doping be strengthened.

WADA had imposed a four-year ban on Russia after ruling officials had manipulated evidence from a laboratory database handed over to investigators probing the long-running doping scandal.

But the CAS panel cut that ban to two years.

“This panel has imposed consequences to reflect the nature and seriousness of the noncompliance … and to ensure that the integrity of sport against the scourge of doping is maintained,” the CAS judgment said.

“The consequences which the panel has decided to impose are not as extensive as those sought by WADA.

“This should not, however, be read as any validation of the conduct of RUSADA (Russia‘s anti-doping watchdog) or the Russian authorities.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has cut a four-year ban on Russia for doping in half. Picture: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

The sporting world has reacted angrily to the CAS decision.

Travis Tygart, the boss of the US Anti-Doping Administration (USADA), said the CAS decision represented a “significant loss” for clean athletes.

And the decision has been met with similar dismay among Australian sporting officials, with Mr Sharpe declaring it was not in keeping with expectations.

“The reduction of sanctions imposed on Russia will leave Australian athletes asking many questions today,” Mr Sharpe said.

“If these are the strongest sanctions for the type of conduct that has been displayed in this case then the consequences for noncompliance in our global anti-doping system are not aligned with our stakeholders’ expectations.”

The two-year sanction bars Russia from sending an official delegation to the rearranged 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2022 World Cup but allows Russian athletes to compete in those events under a neutral banner if they can prove no connection to doping.

Similar rules were in effect for Russian athletes at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The full reasons for the CAS judgment, which handed out longer bans to hundreds of Russian athletes involved in the doping program, have not yet been released.

“But at first glance it would appear that all major stakeholders will need to unite to strengthen our anti-doping system and ensure that there are real deterrents for serious noncompliance and any conduct designed to cover up that noncompliance,” Mr Sharpe said.

“If this is the appropriate sanction under the current compliance rules then governments, the sport movement, national anti-doping organisations and athletes must all come together after the release of the full decision and immediately work to strengthen these rules.”

Australian swimmer Shayna Jack recently had her four-year ban for taking a prohibited substance halved after it was deemed she was not at fault.

But WADA is appealing that decision.

Tygart, who is one of the world’s leading anti-doping officials, said the sanction would be undermined by athletes still being able to compete in uniforms in Russian colours with the word “Russia” on them at next year’s Olympics.

”IOC members are exempt from the ban. Athlete support personnel and government officials are exempt from it. There’s no consequence on those folks even if they were involved with directly perpetrating fraud in the past,” he said.

“The Russian colours can be there. It will be another charade like we saw in PyeongChang where neutral athletes from Russia will have uniforms in Russian colours, and the only thing that‘s absent is the flag and the anthem in the event they win.”

– with AFP

Originally published as A decision to cut a drug ban on Russia to two years has been condemned around the world