RUSADA will not appeal against the two-year sanctions ©RUSADA

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has confirmed it will not appeal the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), following the two-year sanctions imposed on the organisation last month.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had imposed a four-year package of punishments on Russia in December 2018 after it found data from the Moscow Laboratory had been tampered with and manipulated.

A three-member CAS panel last month cut the period of sanctions to two years following an appeal by RUSADA.

The panel ruled only Russian athletes who meet certain criteria will be able to compete as neutrals at events including Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Russia will not be able to host, or be granted the right to stage, any major events during the two-year period where the sanctions apply and it must be stripped of any World Championships it has already been awarded that are due to take place between now and December 16 2022 "unless it is legally or practically impossible" to do so.

RUSADA had the option to appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal on procedural grounds.

The organisation has confirmed it has taken the decision not to appeal.

RUSADA said it "strongly disagrees with the findings in the CAS Award regarding the alleged data manipulations", which it claims are "based on a flawed and one-sided assessment of the facts and were not sufficiently proven".

"RUSADA considers that this chapter has now been closed and is looking forward and committed to working with WADA with a view to fully restoring RUSADA's membership status," a RUSADA statement read.

"RUSADA trusts that this process will be constructive and based on a transparent and realistic road map in line with RUSADA's obligations under the WADC.

"RUSADA remains fully committed to the fight against doping but will continue to defend the rights of clean Russian athletes and to oppose any form of discrimination against Russian sport. 

"It is RUSADA's hope that WADA will in time view the dispute and the CAS proceedings as an opportunity to learn and as a chance to create an international compliance system together with its signatories, not against them."

The Court of Arbitration for Sport halved RUSADA's four-year sanction last month ©Getty Images
The Court of Arbitration for Sport halved RUSADA's four-year sanction last month ©Getty Images

The reasoned decision published by CAS earlier this month saw Russia's conduct heavily criticised by the panel, which agreed with the WADA that the country had sought to "cover-up the cover-up".

The CAS Panel agreed the non-compliance "could hardly be more serious", concluding that in response to "damning forensic evidence" Russian experts assisting the Ministry of Sport offered explanations that were "wholly inadequate, unconvincing and far-fetched".

The panel, however, decided not to enforce all of the sanctions requested by the WADA.

The WADA said CAS had failed to fully explain why it significantly reduced sanctions, concluding that "based on its own assessment of proportionality, the Panel considered that the legitimate objectives of WADA could be adequately achieved with lesser consequences."

Under the terms of the decision, Russia's name will be permitted on uniforms at events such as the Olympics, but the words "neutral athlete" - or an equivalent - "must be displayed in English in a position and size that is no less prominent than the name 'Russia".

The colours of the flag will also be allowed, but the Russian national anthem is banned.

While Russian Government representatives will be prevented from attending the Olympics and World Championships, unless they are invited by the Prime Minister or Head of State, the CAS overturned a ban on Russian Olympic Committee officials from Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022.

RUSADA was also ordered to pay a fine of either $100,000 (£74,000/€82,000) or 10 per cent of its 2019 income - whichever is lower - and a contribution of $1.27 million (£935,000/€1 million) towards the costs incurred by WADA from January 2019 to the date of the decision in investigating the authenticity of the Moscow Laboratory data.

Acting RUSADA director general Mikhail Bukhanov told Russian state news agency TASS that the organisation was awaiting clarification on the amount.

“RUSADA must comply with all the points of the court decision, including financial ones," Bukhanov said.

"In accordance with paragraph 7 of the operative part of the CAS decision, the costs of arbitration in the amount of 80 per cent to be borne by RUSADA will be determined and transferred to the agency by the CAS office. 

"We are currently awaiting clarification of this amount, other amounts are determined in the court decision and do not require clarification. 

"As for the sources of funding, this issue is under discussion and will be part of the agenda of meetings of RUSADA's collegial management bodies."