RUSADA has disputed the proposed sanctions for issues with Russian anti-doping legislation, leading to WADA referring the matter to CAS ©Getty Images

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) plans to send the case against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), after it disputed fresh sanctions issued last month.

Sanctions against RUSADA for the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal, which had required the country's athletes to compete under the Russian Olympic Committee flag at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympics, expired in December last year after the CAS had halved the penalties to two years.

RUSADA remained non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, and last month the WADA Executive Committee approved fresh punishments related to an issue with national legislation identified during a virtual audit in September last year.

The proposed sanctions recommended by the Compliance Review Committee include a further ban on Russia's flag at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, World Championships, continental and regional competitions and a ban on staging such events.

The proposed WADA sanctions would again ban the Russian flag from major events, including the Olympic Games as at Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022, although this is already the case due to the war in Ukraine ©Getty Images
The proposed WADA sanctions would again ban the Russian flag from major events, including the Olympic Games as at Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022, although this is already the case due to the war in Ukraine ©Getty Images

They are not immediately enforceable because RUSADA has disputed the allegation of non-compliance within the permitted 21 days, prompting WADA to refer the matter to the CAS.


Even if implemented, the practical impact would be minimal at present because almost every sports organisation has banned Russia's flag and stripped the country of its right to host events due to the war in Ukraine.

WADA has stressed RUSADA will not be reinstated until all required conditions are met.

North Korea and Gabon are the other National Anti-Doping Organisations deemed non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, along with the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation.