Tokyo Olympics 2020: How Russia wasn’t participating but Russians are?

Doping scandal isn’t a new major issue for the sports authorities. Russian is one of the countries facing the constant accusations from several whistle-blowers and sports persons in respect to doping from time to time.

As a matter of fact, Russia was banned from the major sports events until December 2022 and also not allowed to host any major events.

What’s Happening in Olympics?

           A total of 335 sportspersons from Russia are competing in the pandemic affected 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Unlike other countries, Russians are not allowed to use their country’s name, flag, and anthem in the Tokyo Olympics 2022. They all participate under Russian Olympic Committee stands as ROC.

Its strange that the athletes from Russia can still wear uniforms in the Country’s color but ‘neutral athlete’ must be written in the kit, whenever the ‘Russia’ is written. This is all as IOC’s guidelines.

Accusation and Findings

In 2014, 800m runner Yulia Stepanova and her husband Vitaly, a former employee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), appeared in a German documentary and share their on and off field experience with RUSADA. This documentary led to know about one of the most “sophisticated doping programmes” in sports history.

On 2016, Grigory Rodchenkov, a former head of the RUSADA told The New York Times that how Russia ran a pre-planned doping scheme with the help of state authorities. It was running like a state-sponsored doping scheme. He also told that how the urine samples of athletes were substituted with a clean one during 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. This unmoral act was carried out by the country’s anti-doping and members of intelligence services.

This led to a series investigation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and other global federations related to sports.

Soon after the allegations surfaced, international Olympic committee removed 111 athletes, including the entire track and field team, from a total of 389-member participants in Rio Olympics 2016. Later they also banned from participating 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

After a series of investigations WADA lifted the sanctions in exchange to athlete’s data from its Moscow laboratory to doping regulators, which would help identify hundreds of athletes who may have cheated across various sports. Russia was then accused of manipulating that database, leading to the WADA panel suggesting the four-year ban.

Concession

In 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced the initial ban of four years to two, but it ensured that no official Russian team can participate in events organised by a WADA signatory until the sanction term ends on December 16, 2022.

These findings make Russian teams are not allowed to participate in the 2020 Summer Olympics, 2022 Paralympics in Tokyo, 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, China, 2022 Football World cup in Qatar. But could compete under a neutral name, if it qualifies. At the same time Russia would not be allowed to host any world sporting event whose governing body is registered with WADA during the ban period.

After the ban period Russia could be reinstated, if it respects and observes all imposed sanctions, pays its fines and contributions and starts adhering to WADA regulations.

Due to these facts, one of the world’s top sporting nation over a century was banned from the Tokyo Olympics.

That’s why in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 medals tally, all of their medals are listed next to the name ROC, with a flag that is different from Russia’s official.