MARK OF DISGRACE

Russia Banned From Using Its Name, Anthem, and Flag at Next Two Olympics Over Doping Scheme

Russian athletes will still be allowed to compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing—but not under the Russian name.

Russia has been banned from using its name, anthem, and flag for the next two Olympics—the latest punishment for the country’s widespread state-powered doping program. Russian athletes will still be able to compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing if they can prove they were not involved in doping, but they will be forced to do so under a neutral flag. The punishment, dished out Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, will also see Russia banned from using its name and colors at world championships for the next two years, and it will be banned from bidding to host major sporting events until 2022. The punishment is less strict than the four-year ban requested by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but is still the most severe penalty on Russia since doping allegations were made after the 2014 Sochi Olympics.