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Russia banned from using name and flag at next 2 Olympics over doping charges

Vladimir Putin speaks to the IPC Governing Board prior to the opening ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. Photo: Ian Walton/Getty Images

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday cut Russia's ban from participation in global sports from four years to two years, but ruled that Russia will not be able to enter teams or even use its name or flag at the next two Olympics, AP reports.

Why it matters: Russia has been accused by anti-doping regulators of running of one of the most sophisticated doping schemes in the history of international sports, which at its peak was alleged to involve state authorities tampering with testing samples.

The state of play: Some Russian athletes and teams will still be able to participate with neutral uniforms if they can prove that they were not involved in the doping scheme, which was revealed when the director of the country's anti-doping laboratory blew the whistle on the scandal in a 2017 documentary.

The big picture: The Russian government launched a full-fledged legal assault on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), arguing that it had exceeded reasonable limits with its powers, according to the New York Times.

  • A Russian hacking group is believed to have spearheaded cyberattacks against WADA in retaliation for the near-national ban of the country's Olympic team.
  • The ban enforced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday will apply to the rescheduled Tokyo Games next summer, the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and other major global sporting events.

Go deeper

Zachary Basu
Updated Apr 18, 2019 - Politics & Policy

What the Mueller report tells us about Trump and Russia

President Trump at the Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin. Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

The first part of special counsel Robert Mueller's redacted report addresses Russian interference in the 2016 election and any role the Trump campaign may have played in those efforts.

What to know: Mueller defines election interference as comprising of 2 sets of efforts: The social media disinformation campaign carried out by a Russian troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency, and the hacking and dissemination of Democratic emails by Russian intelligence officers. He narrowly defines "coordination" as an "agreement—tacit or express—between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government on election interference."

This post is breaking news and will be updated.

Go deeper (6 min. read)Arrow
Steve LeVine
Aug 22, 2019 - World

Russian interference, 2020

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Americans are at each other's throats. Politically, socially and culturally, we suspect each other's motives and plain sanity. So certain are we of the other's intent to do the nation harm, some of us have joined political gangs and assaulted one another, resulting in at least 1 death.

Which is to say: Americans have played into Russian President Vladimir Putin's hands — again. It is assumed he can attack next year's elections if he so chooses, but since no outsider knows exactly how, what comes next is one of the great underlying mystery-dramas of the 2020 election campaign.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Shawna Chen
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Kaine, Collins' censure resolution seeks to bar Trump from holding office again

Sen. Tim Kaine (center) and Sen. Susan Collins (right). Photo: Andrew Harnik/Pool via Getty Images

Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are forging ahead with a draft proposal to censure former President Trump, and are considering introducing the resolution on the Senate floor next week.

Why it matters: Senators are looking for a way to condemn Trump on the record as it becomes increasingly unlikely Democrats will obtain the 17 Republican votes needed to gain a conviction, Axios Alayna Treene writes. "I think it’s important for the Senate's leadership to understand that there are alternatives," Kaine told CNN on Wednesday.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow