World Athletics pleased with CAS decision on RUSADA
Xinhua
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PARIS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- World Athletics, the sport's global governing body, released a response to the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) decision on RUSADA on Friday.

Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA) director general Yury Ganus holds a press conference in Moscow on December 27, 2019. (Photo: AFP)

"World Athletics is pleased that CAS's decision was guided by the international standard which World Athletics helped to set following the stand the sport took in 2016," said World Athletics in its statement.

"For the sake of clarity, the decision by CAS today does not change the process that World Athletics has been going through with RusAF over the last five years. The World Athletics Council will consider whether to allow Russian athletes to compete again as Authorised Neutral Athletes in international competitions (including allowing up to 10 ANAs to participate in World Athletics Series events and the Tokyo Olympic Games) at its next meeting, in March 2021, or earlier if the Taskforce so recommends, based on the progress made by RusAF."

Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Stanislav Pozdnyakov speaks with the media in Moscow on December 17, 2020, hours before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is to deliver its verdict over Russia ban from international sports imposed following allegations of state-sanctioned doping. (Photo: AFP)

Russia will miss the Tokyo Olympic Games and Beijing Winter Olympic Games as the CAS imposed a two-year ban on the country on Thursday. The final decision from CAS resulted from a secret arbitration hearing between WADA and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency last month.

Russian athletes will still be allowed to compete at international tournaments, but only as neutrals.