This archive report was first published on 9 December 2019.
On December 9, 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) imposed a four-year international sporting ban on Russia, citing the country's falsification of laboratory data.
According to Yury Ganus, the head of Russia's anti-doping agency, Rusada, there is 'no chance' of winning an appeal against the ban.
"There is no chance of winning this case in court," Ganus told AFP, emphasizing that the ban will rule Russia out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
As a result, some Russian athletes are contemplating leaving Russia to train elsewhere, with sentiments among athletes described as 'awful' by Ganus.
Earlier that day, WADA's executive committee, meeting in Lausanne, decided to hand Russia the four-year suspension.
Russian athletes have faced a series of bans in recent years, including participating in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games as neutral competitors.
Despite the ban, the heads of several Russian sports federations are preparing to send athletes to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics under a neutral flag.
"Of course we'd prefer that our athletes participate under the Russian flag and hear their national anthem. But the circumstances may be different... (and) no-one has the right to deprive innocent athletes of their dreams," said Vladimir Salnikov, the head of Russia's swimming federation.
