Reeling from doping ban, Moscow blames 'anti-Russian hysteria'
Moscow: Russia reeled from a four-year ban from global sports on Monday, with athletes in shock and the government quick to blame "anti-Russian hysteria".
The head of Russia's anti-doping agency meanwhile said his country had "no chance" of winning an appeal of the ban, which he described as a tragedy for clean athletes.
The World Anti-Doping Agency on Monday banned Russia from international competitions including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It accused Russia of falsifying laboratory doping data handed over earlier this year to investigators probing claims of widespread doping.
Russia can appeal the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the head of its RUSADA anti-doping agency, Yuri Ganus, said he doubted it would be successful.
"There is no chance of winning this case in court," Ganus told AFP. "This is a tragedy. Clean athletes are seeing their rights limited."
Under the sanctions, Russian sportsmen and women will still be allowed to compete at the Olympics next year but only if they can demonstrate that they were not part of what WADA believes was a state-sponsored system of doping.
Russian government officials will be barred from attending any major events, while the country will lose the right to host, or even bid, for tournaments.
While admitting there have been instances of doping, Russian officials say the country is no worse than any other. Some have accused other countries of pursuing the ban to remove Russian athletes from competition.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday that it was "impossible to deny" that doping had taken place but that those involved had already been punished.
"This is the continuation of this anti-Russian hysteria that has already become chronic," Medvedev told Russian news agencies. Many in Russian sports agreed.
"The decision that was taken today was political and not simply about sports," the head of Russia's Biathlon Union, Vladimir Drachev, told Russia-24 state television.
"I have no words... How can you mock athletes who have been preparing all their lives for this?" said Aslanbek Khushtov, who won wrestling gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "Unfortunately this is politics, I don't smell any sport here," he told state news agency TASS.
