Year In Review 2020, Biggest Sports Stories: CAS bans Russia for two years

Editor’s Note: It’s that time of the year already. Every end comes with an opportunity to look back and reflect, and while 2020, by general consensus, was a forgettable affair, sports did manage to conjure some moments of lasting relevance. From Liverpool ending their Premier League title wait to the mighty Indian cricket team crashing like never before in Adelaide to the passing away of some of sports’ all-time greats, the field of play, even in a truncated calendar, produced a fair share of shock, surprise, and awe. In Firstpost’s latest series, we take a look at some of the biggest sporting moments of 2020. In December this year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) banned Russia from participating in world sports events for two years. This means Russia – the nation – cannot participate in next year’s Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and the football World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Russian athletes, though, can still participate in individual capacities, provided the words ‘neutral athlete’ are displayed on their uniforms. The Russian flag and national anthem cannot be played at the venues, said the ruling. The word ‘Russia’ can be written on the uniforms of the athletes, but in no more prominent font as ‘neutral athlete.’ The CAS also blocked Russia from bidding to host major sporting events for two years, till 16 December 2022. The punishment, however, is not as harsh as envisaged. Russia, accused of running a state-sponsored doping programme, were originally handed a four-year ban by World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) last year. The global anti-doping body had accused Russia of planting fake evidence and of deleting files linked to positive doping tests that could have helped identify drug cheats. Russia challenged the ban in the Lausanne-based CAS that, for no publicly-stated reason, halved the punishment, while curiously cautioning Russia to not term it as any sort of vindication. Almost on cue, Mikhail Bukhanov, RUSADA’s (Russian anti-doping agency) acting head, later described the outcome as a “victory for Russia”. “CAS did not restrict clean athletes’ right to compete at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as at world championships,” he said. Though the ‘ban’ is likely to have little practical impact by way of punishment and Russia may have got away with a rap on the wrist, the news was among the most important sports stories of the year. With Tokyo Olympics slated to be held next year, it’ll be interesting to see how ‘neutral athletes’ perform at the biggest sporting spectacle. **Click here for more stories in 'Year in Review 2020' series**