Why is Russia banned from the 2022 Beijing Olympics? When can they compete again?

Once again, Russian athletes will not be allowed to compete under their country's banner for the Winter Olympics. It was back in 2016 when Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov first exposed a doping program run by the government that extended for decades.

After the scandal and the initial ban from the 2018 games, the WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, proposed a harsh punishment that sought to ban the country for four years. RUSADA, the Russian anti-doping agency, had to pay $1.27 million to WADA for costs tied to the investigation.

However, the sentence was later appealed, and Russian athletes were allowed to compete under the name ROC. The IOC extended this lifeline only to those athletes who were invited to compete and were able to prove that they were clean and had no involvement with the original scandal.

Restrictions

The team will not be permitted to fly the Russian flag, and the anthem will not be played at the games. Moreover, the Russian federation's uniforms will not be authorized to have the country's name anywhere on them. WADA was specific as to say that there should be neutrality and no reference to Russia. The team's colors will be allowed to be worn by the participants.

When can ROC athletes compete again as the Russian Federation?

The original ban was put in place until 2024, but after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, that ruling was cut in half, and they will be able to compete under their colors and banner after December 16 of, 2022.