Russia has been banned from the Tokyo Olympics, the Olympics in Beijing in 2022, and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. The two-year ban will end on December 16, 2022. With this ban, Russia is also not able to host or bid on Olympic games or any World Championships. Russia has been banned because they were tampering with athletes’ drug tests, but more specifically WADA (World Anti- Doping Agency) discovered more information recording the case. WADA’s organizational president Witold Bańka said, “The Panel has clearly upheld our findings that the Russian authorities brazenly and illegally manipulated the Moscow Laboratory data to cover up an institutionalized doping scheme. In the face of continual resistance and denial from Russia, we clearly proved our case, in accordance with due process”(USA Today).

This is really bad news for all of Russia’s clean athletes that will not be able to participate in the Olympics for Russia. The athletes are allowed to be in the Olympics as long as they have the words “neutral athlete,” (NPR) written on their uniforms but they are allowed to have the colors of the Russian flag just not the flag on their uniforms. The Russian national anthem will also not be played at any of these events. Even though athletes can still go to the Olympics if they are neutral it will still cause many Russian athletes not to participate and will affect the competition level at the Olympics. The athletes are being affected the most right now but this will also cause a decrease in revenue.