Will Russia be thrown out of Tokyo Olympics 2020? A primer ahead of WADA executive committee meeting on Monday
FirstpostThere is a little more than seven months left before the opening of the 2020 Olympics, and, once again, Russia is bracing for yet another potentially severe punishment after yet another accusation of state- The short-term athletic fate of hundreds of Russian competitors and sports officials is set to be decided on Monday, when the executive committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency meets in Lausanne, Switzerland, to decide whether to approve a set of punishments recommended by its compliance group. In late November, WADA’s compliance committee recommended that Russia be barred from all global sporting events for four years. That would include next summer’s Olympics in Tokyo, clearly, but also major events like FIFA World Cup in 2022 and international championships across all sports in the months and years to come. Whispers of systemic doping in Russia at the start of the decade led to revelations of a huge doping program, which led to more revelations and serious punishments, which led to a brokered deal that allowed Russians to compete in the Rio and Pyeongchang Games, which led to the latest attempted cover-up, which has led to the current calls for more draconian punishments — like the global ban WADA will vote on when it meets Monday.