Top Sports Court's Final Ruling On Russian Athletes Expected By End Of April - Lawyer

Top Sports Court's Final Ruling on Russian Athletes Expected by End of April - Lawyer

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is likely to deliver a ruling on the ban imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Russian athletes by the end of April of 2020, sports lawyer Yuri Zaitsev told Sputnik

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2019) The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is likely to deliver a ruling on the ban imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Russian athletes by the end of April of 2020, sports lawyer Yuri Zaitsev told Sputnik.

On December 9, WADA banned Russia from hosting and competing in major international sporting events for four years after it allegedly manipulated laboratory data handed over to the agency's investigator. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) Monitoring Council is scheduled to meet on December 19 to discuss WADA's decision, after which Russia is likely to appeal the ban in the CAS.

"In accordance with international standards, there is a fast-track procedure [in the CAS] � three months since the formation of the panel of arbitrators. Therefore, if the complaint is filed in the beginning of January, the panel will be formed by the end of January, and the final decision should be expected approximately by the end of April", the sports lawyer said, avoiding any projections on the ruling.

WADA also ruled that only "clean" Russian athletes would be allowed to compete under a neutral status, without the Russian flag or anthem, while Russian government officials and representatives would be banned from attending any major international sporting events. Additionally, WADA declared RUSADA non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code.