Russia has confirmed that it will appeal against its four-year Olympic ban for manipulating doping data.
The Russian anti-doping agency, known as RUSADA, sent a formal letter Friday disagreeing with the sanctions imposed earlier this month by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The case is now heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Next year¡¯s Tokyo Olympics will be the third consecutive edition of the games preceded by a legal battle over Russian doping issues.
RUSADA said it ¡°disputes the (WADA) notice in its entirety,¡± including the evidence of tampering with the data archive.
RUSADA¡¯s own CEO, Yuri Ganus, attached his own note of protest to Friday¡¯s letter. Ganus is critical of Russian officials and had disagreed with the decision to appeal.
The WADA sanctions ban the use of the Russian team name, flag or anthem at a range of major sports competitions over the next four years, including next year¡¯s Olympics and the 2022 soccer World Cup.
However, Russian athletes will be allowed to compete as neutrals if they pass a vetting process which examines their history of drug testing, and possible involvement in cover-ups at the lab.
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