Sports

(MIAMI) — Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is sounding off about the NFL’s response to his lawsuit accusing the league of racial discrimination.

Flores spoke with ABC News’ “Nightline” about his suit, filed Tuesday, and dismissed the league’s statement that his claims were “without merit” and criticized the league saying it is “committed to ensuring equitable employment practices.”

Flores said it was a “slap in the face” because there is only one Black head coach in the NFL despite the fact Black players make up 70% of the league.

“It speaks to a lack of belief not wanting to believe the facts [and] the numbers,” Flores told ABC News. “There’s a little bit of a fantasy land that would leave them to feel like, you know, these things are without merit.”

Flores, 40, filed his 60-page suit against the league contending it has a history of racism especially when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black head coaches.

Flores, who was let go as the head coach of the Dolphins last month, cited a recent opportunity when he was asked to meet with the owners of the New York Giants to interview for their open head coaching job.

Watch Brian Flores’ full interview with “Nightline” Wednesday night at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

The suit included what he says are screengrabs of text messages from his mentor, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who congratulated Flores on getting hired by the Giants before the interview took place. Belichick later allegedly texted back indicating that he’d made a mistake and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was actually getting the job — three days before Flores’ interview.

Flores, who was coming off back-to-back winning seasons with the Dolphins, said he wasn’t mad at Belichick but was in disbelief and angry after reading the messages.

“There’s a humiliation that came over me,” he said. “Why wasn’t I afforded the opportunity to truly interview and show what I can do? Because I am a good coach and I do relate to players and I know how to lead.”

Belichick hasn’t responded to the allegations.

Flores accused the Giants of requesting an interview simply to fill the quota of interviewing a minority candidate outlined in the league’s Rooney Rule. The Giants denied that claim, saying in a statement, “We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll. We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”

The league put out a statement Tuesday claiming, “the NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations.”

Flores’ lawsuit also cites the use of race-norming in the league’s concussion settlement program, which was the subject of a previous ABC News investigation, as indicative of its broader attitude toward Black players and coaches.

“The NFL took the position that white people simply have better baseline cognitive function than Black people,” Flores’ suit said.

“It just gives you how they view Black people as being inferior intellectually to white people,” Doug Wigdor, Flores’ attorney, told ABC News.

The NFL previously told ABC News that the concussion settlement “relied on widely accepted and long-established cognitive tests and scoring methodologies.”

The lawsuit seeks class-action status, unspecified damages and changes to ensure the hiring of more Black coaches, coordinators and front office personnel.

“Those coaches could set an example for the Black players in the league that they can strive and be in those types of leadership positions,” Flores said. “We filed because this is bigger than football.”

Flores said he is hopeful he can coach again and would take up any opportunity offered.

“I think what I’m doing now speaks to leadership, speaks to sacrifice. I mean what more would you want to exemplify from your team?” he said.

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(ASHBURN, Va.) — The Washington Football Team will reveal its new team name Wednesday after two years of speculation.

Washington dropped its former name, the Redskins, in July 2020 after years of complaints over its racist connotations toward Native Americans.

“On July 3rd we announced the commencement of a thorough review of the team’s name… Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the team said in a statement on July 3, 2020.

The team adopted the generic “Washington Football Team” two weeks later, though it was only supposed to be in place for the 2020-21 season. The team decided to keep the name for another season as it worked out a new name and complications over copyrights.

Washington co-CEO Tanya Snyder, owner Daniel Snyder’s wife, told ESPN in September that it had narrowed the final eight candidates to Armada, Brigade, Commanders, Defenders, Presidents, Redhawks, RedWolves and the current Football Team.

However, team President Jason Wright announced last month that RedWolves, one of the most popular names on social media, will not be the team name due to copyright issues.

“Early on we understood Wolves — or some variation of it — was one of our fan favorites,” Wright wrote in a post on the team’s website. “As I’ve said all along, we take feedback from our fans seriously, and because of your interest in this name, we put Wolves on a list of options to explore fully. Once we began looking into Wolves, however, we became aware of a notable challenge: trademarks held by other teams would limit our ability to make the name our own. And without Wolves, variations like RedWolves wouldn’t have been viable either for these and other reasons.”

Daniel Snyder had long said he would “never” change the team’s name despite the outcry from activists and many Native American groups. However, following the racial protests in summer 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hand of several Minneapolis police officers, and a letter to team sponsors from dozens of shareholders, Snyder announced the team would launch its review of the name.

Wright said last month the team name had already been decided, though it has not leaked. Washington legend Joe Theismann, who led the team to a win in Super Bowl 17, appeared to possibly reveal the new name will be the Commanders in an interview this week with CBS Sports Radio, when he said, “I think the Commanders is a name that is going to be one that hopefully people like going forward. There were so many different options.”

He later told The Washington Times, however, that he did not know it would be the Commanders for sure.

Wright said he hopes the new team name will satisfy the fans.

“And while we’ve always understood it would be a nearly impossible task to select a name that all of our fans would identify with as their first pick, we are very excited about our final selection, which aligns with our values, carries forth our rich history, represents the region and, most importantly, is inspired and informed by you, our fans,” Wright wrote in January.

ABC News’ Rosa Sanchez contributed to this report.

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(ASHBURN, Va.) — After two years of speculation, the Washington Football Team revealed its new name and new look on Wednesday as the Washington Commanders.

“One legacy. One unified future. We are the Washington Commanders,” the Washington, D.C.-based professional football team announced via Twitter.

The team dropped its former name in July 2020 after years of complaints over its racist connotations toward Native Americans.

“On July 3rd we announced the commencement of a thorough review of the team’s name… Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the team said in a statement on July 3, 2020.

The team adopted the generic “Washington Football Team” two weeks later, though it was only supposed to be in place for the 2020-21 season. The team decided to keep the name for another season as it worked out a new name and complications over copyrights.

Washington co-CEO Tanya Snyder, owner Daniel Snyder’s wife, told ESPN in September that it had narrowed the final eight candidates to Armada, Brigade, Commanders, Defenders, Presidents, Redhawks, RedWolves and the current Football Team.

However, team President Jason Wright announced last month that RedWolves, one of the most popular names on social media, will not be the team name due to copyright issues.

“Early on we understood Wolves — or some variation of it — was one of our fan favorites,” Wright wrote in a post on the team’s website. “As I’ve said all along, we take feedback from our fans seriously, and because of your interest in this name, we put Wolves on a list of options to explore fully. Once we began looking into Wolves, however, we became aware of a notable challenge: trademarks held by other teams would limit our ability to make the name our own. And without Wolves, variations like RedWolves wouldn’t have been viable either for these and other reasons.”

Daniel Snyder had long said he would “never” change the team’s name despite the outcry from activists and many Native American groups. However, following the racial protests in summer 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hand of several Minneapolis police officers, and a letter to team sponsors from dozens of shareholders, Snyder announced the team would launch its review of the name.

Wright said last month the team name had already been decided, though it has not leaked. Washington legend Joe Theismann, who led the team to a win in Super Bowl 17, appeared to possibly reveal the new name will be the Commanders in an interview this week with CBS Sports Radio, when he said, “I think the Commanders is a name that is going to be one that hopefully people like going forward. There were so many different options.”

He later told The Washington Times, however, that he did not know it would be the Commanders for sure.

Wright said he hopes the new team name will satisfy the fans.

“And while we’ve always understood it would be a nearly impossible task to select a name that all of our fans would identify with as their first pick, we are very excited about our final selection, which aligns with our values, carries forth our rich history, represents the region and, most importantly, is inspired and informed by you, our fans,” Wright wrote in January.

ABC News’ Rosa Sanchez contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(BEIJING) — One of the most popular sports at the Winter Olympics is about to get underway in Beijing: figure skating. Lacing up their skates for the U.S. Olympic team are various world champions, repeat Olympians and history-makers.

The U.S. has multiple athletes competing in all figure skating disciplines — men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dance. Each member of the team is eligible to compete in their respective Olympic team events.

The action kicks off Thursday night Eastern Standard Time, with the men’s short program team event, and runs throughout most of the Games.

Here’s a look at the 16 skaters representing Team USA at the Beijing Winter Olympics:

MEN’S

Jason Brown, 27

Brown made his first Olympics appearance in the 2014 Sochi Games, where he took home bronze in the team event and placed ninth overall — and also became known for his signature ponytail. After being selected as the first alternate for the PyeongChang 2018 Games, he’s in Beijing for his second Olympics — sans ponytail. The charismatic skater came in fourth at the U.S. Nationals, though fared well at the senior level, including medaling at both of his Grand Prix Series assignments, to make the Olympic team.

Nathan Chen, 22

One of the biggest names in the sport and a clear gold-medal contender, Chen is a three-time World champion (2018, 2019 and 2021) and comes into the Olympics winning his sixth straight national figure skating championship. Beijing marks his second Olympics; at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, he earned bronze in the team event though failed to make the podium in singles, finishing fifth overall. But he made history there, becoming the first skater to land six quadruple jumps in a single program while also earning the highest free skate score ever in an Olympic competition. The athlete took time off from Yale University to train for the 2022 Olympics and plans to return to the school in the fall.

Vincent Zhou, 21

Zhou returns to the Olympics after placing sixth in PyeongChang, where he made history as the first skater to land a quadruple lutz in the Games. He is a five-time U.S. national medalist, who took home bronze at the 2022 championships. Zhou, whose parents are first-generation Chinese immigrants, said he chose “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” as his free skate song in a nod to his heritage.

Watch the competition:

• Feb. 3 at 8:55 p.m.: Short program team event
• Feb. 5 at 10:50 p.m.: Free skating team event
• Feb. 7 at 8:15 p.m.: Short program
• Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m.: Free skating

WOMEN’S

Mariah Bell, 25

Bell is making her first appearance at the Olympics. She took the 2022 U.S. championship title — becoming the oldest U.S. women’s national champion in 95 years. She previously earned silver (2020) and bronze (2019, 2017) at nationals, and is the 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America champion. In her latest World Championships appearance, in 2019, she placed ninth. Her coaches include Olympian and figure skating star Adam Rippon.

Karen Chen, 22

Chen debated retiring from the sport after her 11th-place finish at the 2018 PyeongChang Games and enrolling in Cornell University. But she took time off from school to pursue a second Olympics appearance. She is the 2017 U.S. champion and took silver at this year’s nationals. Her fourth-place finish at the 2021 World Championships helped the U.S. secure three women’s entries for the Beijing Games.

Alysa Liu, 16

The youngest team member, Liu, is making her first Olympic appearance in Beijing. The two-time, back-to-back national champion became the youngest to win the title at 13 in 2019. She had to withdraw from this year’s championships after testing positive for COVID-19, but was able to make the Olympic team after petitioning for a spot. Known for her challenging skillset, Liu is the first American skater to successfully land a quadruple jump in competition and the first woman to land both a quadruple jump and a triple axel in the same program.

Watch the competition:

• Feb. 5 at 8:30 p.m.: Short program team event
• Feb. 6 at 10:35 p.m.: Free skating team event
• Feb. 15 at 5 a.m.: Short program
• Feb. 17 at 5 a.m.: Free skating

Ashley Cain-Gribble, 26, and Timothy LeDuc, 31

The 2022 and 2019 U.S. champions are making their Olympic debut after skating together for six years. LeDuc is also the first openly non-binary athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics. Figure skating is in Cain-Gribble’s blood; she is the daughter of Peter Cain, an Australian who competed at the 1980 Lake Placid Games in pair skating with his sister, Elizabeth Cain. Her mother, Darlene Cain, also competed in ice dance for Canada. Her parents are among their coaches.

Alexa Knierim, 30, and Brandon Frazier, 29

The pair won the 2021 U.S. championships during their first season competing together, earning the highest score ever achieved in U.S. competition. They had to bow out of this year’s U.S. championships after Frazier tested positive for COVID-19, but they were able to be considered for the Olympic team via a petition process. This is Frazier’s first Olympics and Knierim’s second; she competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Games with her husband, Chris Knierim, where they won bronze as part of the team event. Chris Knierim has since retired and is now one of duo’s coaches.

Watch the competition:

• Feb. 4 at 12:15 a.m. ET: Short program team event
• Feb. 6 at 8:15 p.m. ET: Free skating team event
• Feb. 18 at 5:30 a.m. ET: Short program
• Feb. 19 at 6 a.m. ET: Free skating

Madison Chock, 29, and Evan Bates, 32

The 2022 U.S. champions are marking their third Olympic appearance together, while Bates marks his fourth, becoming the first American figure skater to compete at four Winter Games. The pair, who have been skating together for over 10 years, come into the Games ranked second in the world. The two are a couple both on and off the ice and find time to host their own figure skating podcast, “Unlaced with Chock & Bates.”

Kaitlin Hawayek, 25, and Jean-Luc Baker, 28

This marks the first Olympic appearance for the duo, who have been skating together for 10 years. The pair have earned bronze at four straight U.S. championships starting in 2019 and are the 2018 Four Continents champions. Baker is of Olympic pedigree: His mother, Sharon Jones Baker, represented the United Kingdom in ice dancing at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Madison Hubbell, 30, and Zachary Donohue, 31

After more than a decade as partners, this marks the second and last Olympics for the pair, who announced they plan to retire after this season. The decorated duo won the U.S. title in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and placed silver in the competition this year. They are also three-time World Championship medalists, most recently winning silver in 2021. At the 2018 Olympic Games, they were just shy of medaling, finishing fourth.

Watch the competition:

• Feb 3 at 10:35 p.m. ET: Rhythm dance team event
• Feb 6 at 9:30 p.m. ET: Free dance team event
• Feb 12 at 6 a.m. ET: Rhythm dance
• Feb. 13 at 8:15 p.m. ET: Free dance

For more Olympics coverage, see: https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/Olympics

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New Orleans 111, Detroit 101
Toronto 110, Miami 106
Milwaukee 112, Washington 98
Chicago 126, Orlando 115
Minnesota 130, Denver 115
Golden State 124, San Antonio 120
Phoenix 121, Brooklyn 111

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Philadelphia 3, Winnipeg 1
NY Rangers 5, Florida 2
Toronto 7, New Jersey 1
Boston 3, Seattle 2
Tampa Bay 3 San Jose 2 (OT)
Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)
NY Islanders 4, Ottawa 1
Nashville 4, Vancouver 2
Calgary 4, Dallas 3
Arizona 3, Colorado 2 (SO)
Vegas 5, Buffalo 2

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Auburn 100, Alabama 81
Kansas 70, Iowa St. 61
Michigan St. 65, Maryland 63
Texas Tech 77, Texas 64
Providence 86, St. John’s 82
Creighton 59, UConn 55
Tennessee 90, Texas A&M 80
Mississippi 76, LSU 72

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(WASHINGTON) — The FBI on Monday issued a stern warning for U.S. Olympic athletes traveling to Beijing for the Winter Olympics: keep your personal cellphones at home and use a burner phone.

“The FBI urges all athletes to keep their personal cell phones at home and use a temporary phone while at the Games,” according to a notice sent by the agency. “While there were no major cyber disruptions, the most popular attack methods used were malware, email spoofing, phishing and the use of fake websites and streaming services designed to look like official Olympic service providers.”

“These activities include distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware, malware, social engineering, data theft or leaks, phishing campaigns, disinformation campaigns, or insider threats, and when successful, can block or disrupt the live broadcast of the event, steal or leak sensitive data, or impact public or private digital infrastructure supporting the Olympics,” the FBI warned.

During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, there were more than 450 million attempted cyber-related incidents, “though none were successful due to cybersecurity measures in place,” the FBI said.

The agency said the use of digital wallets and mobile COVID-19 vaccination cards “could also increase the opportunity for cyber actors to steal personal information or install tracking tools, malicious code or malware,” adding that athletes will be required to download an app which will be used to track health and travel.

During the 2018 Winter Olympics, Russian cyber actors “conducted a destructive cyberattack against the Opening Ceremony, enabled through spear phishing campaigns and malicious mobile applications,” the FBI said. “The download and use of applications, including those required to participate or stay in country, could increase the opportunity for cyber actors to steal personal information or install tracking tools, malicious code, or malware.”

The Canadian Olympic Committee has also issued a similar statement urging athletes to leave their phones at home.

“The Canadian Olympic Committee works with cybersecurity experts, government agencies, the International Olympic Committee, and other National Olympic Committees to ensure we have appropriate plans for every Games environment we work in.,” a COC spokesperson told ABC News last week. “Some of our recommendations to Team Canada members include leaving personal devices at home, limiting personal information stored on devices brought to the Games, only connecting to official wifi, turning off transmitting functions when not in use, removing any Games related apps when they’re no longer necessary, and to practice good cyber-hygiene at all times.”

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(NEW YORK) — Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is suing the NFL over alleged racial discrimination.

Flores is suing the NFL, alleging that the league has a painful history of racism that continues through the present day — particularly when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black head coaches.

The complaint includes text messages from New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick, who congratulated Flores on getting hired by the New York Giants when he hadn’t yet interviewed. The job actually ended up going to former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

Belichick informed Flores, three days before his interview with the Giants, that Daboll had already been selected for the job.

“Sorry – I f—– this up. I double checked and misread the text. I think they are naming Brian Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB,” the complaint quoted Belichick.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — Three-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor revealed that she tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday after arriving in Beijing ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Taylor said on Tuesday she is staying at an isolation hotel away from her husband, fellow Olympic bobsledder Nic Taylor, and their one-year-old son, Nico, who traveled with her to the games.

The decorated athlete, who has won a medal at each game, is now racing against time to overcome the illness and test negative before the bobsledding events begin on February 13.

“This is just the latest obstacle that my family and I have faced on this journey,” the 37-year-old athlete wrote in a social media post. “So I’m remaining optimistic that I’ll be able to recover quickly and still have the opportunity to compete.”

In addition to being a top contender for the U.S. women’s bobsledding team, Taylor is hoping to vie for the gold in the women’s monobob event, one of seven sports making its debut in Beijing.

She has been training intensively around the clock over the past several years for what may be her final time at the Olympics.

“Every day, it feels like I’m on my feet from sunup to sundown,” she said in an interview with “Good Morning America” before her trip to Beijing.

Getting to the Olympics as a new mom

Training for the Olympics for the very first time as a new mom amid a global pandemic brought a new set of challenges.

Ahead of Beijing, Taylor said her one-year-old son, Nico, whom she welcomed in 2020, was her ultimate inspiration. After giving birth to Nico, Taylor said she faced severe back pain and found it difficult at times to maintain a steady workout plan with most gyms closed down in the early days of the pandemic. However, having Nico motivated her to continue on her Olympic career on the women’s bobsledding team and to train for the monobob event.

“After my 2018 games, I was very happy with my performance and wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue bobsledding,” she said. “But after I had him, I knew I wanted to continue and show that it’s possible to overcome any adversity and continue pursuing your goals.”

She also credits her credits her husband, Nic, for his support on their shared journey.

“None of this would be possible without him and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner, both on and off the ice, and a better father to my son,” Taylor said about her husband, who is also a bobsledder and an Olympic alternate for the U.S. men’s team.

In addition to maintaining her own intense bobsled training, Taylor said that a lot of planning was done with her son’s doctors to ensure he could accompany the family to Beijing. Nico was born with Down syndrome and has profound bilateral hearing loss that’s now aided by cochlear implants. Taylor worked closely with Nico’s doctors to ensure the toddler was medically-stable to travel to Beijing and could receive speech, physical and hearing therapies during her competition.

“It’s really been a balancing act of trying to make sure we’re giving him what he needs because at the end of the day, I love the bobsled, I love what I do, but he’s going to come first in every sense of the way,” she told “Good Morning America.”

Taylor has also become a proud advocate for families of children with special needs.

“Yes, there are hard days, and yes, it’s not always easy. But there’s also so many highs. We live a life that has so much joy and we wouldn’t trade our son for anyone in the world,” she said. “And and we’ve been able to do some incredible things.”

“We just want to encourage people out there that if you get a diagnosis before, during pregnancy or after pregnancy, like it’s going to be OK and you will still live a very happy and joyful life, regardless of what diagnosis they have….A diagnosis is just that. It’s a medical diagnosis. It doesn’t tell you who your kid is,” she added.

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(NEW YORK) — Legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL via Instagram Tuesday morning following days of speculation.

“I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed … I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life,” he wrote on Instagram. “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things.”

As for his future, Brady said it’ll be “exciting.”

“I’m fortunate to have cofounded incredible companies like @autograph.io @bradybrand, @tb12sports that I am excited to continue to help build and grow, but exactly what my days will look like will be a work-in-progress,” he wrote. “I am going to take it day by day. I know for sure I want to spend a lot of time giving to others and trying to enrich other people’s lives, just as so many have done for me.”

The 44-year-old quarterback played 22 seasons in the NFL. Brady spent 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowls. He then spent two seasons playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading them to a Super Bowl win in 2021.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(BEIJING) — When the Olympic athletes take the field during the 2022 Games opening ceremony in Beijing, there will be one group that won’t show off their national pride.

Russian athletes are only able to compete under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) flag due to an ongoing ban over the country’s previous doping violations.

Doping regulators contend this punishment is justified, given the country’s cover-up.

There are 204 Russian athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Games as “neutrals” under the moniker ROC as part of ongoing sanctions imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Russia cannot officially send any athlete to an international sports competition until December 2022.

While WADA’s ban on the country was severe, the agency and International Olympic Committee have made special arrangements for athletes who have proven to be clean.

Under the IOC’s rules, Russian athletes are prohibited in any form from showing any representation of the country, including its flag or national anthem.

“All public displays of the organization’s participant name should use the acronym ‘ROC,’ not the full name ‘Russian Olympic Committee,'” the IOC rules state.

In any event where a ROC athlete is awarded a medal, a Tchaikovsky song piece is played instead of the Russian national anthem, and the ROC flag, which features the Olympic rings and red, blue and white stripes, will be flown.

This is the third Olympics in a row where the country’s athletes couldn’t officially represent Russia.

The Russians were banned from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, however, athletes that passed doping screenings were allowed to compete under the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) delegation.

Russian athletes competed as the ROC during last summer’s Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The punishments date back to 2015, after athletes came forward to WADA and provided evidence of a decade of state-sponsored doping. The Russian government has denied any involvement and has blamed several coaches.

However, in 2016, whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia’s anti-doping laboratory in Moscow, provided evidence that he, other lab officials and Russia’s FSB security service worked to hide hundreds of positive doping tests.

While the Russians appealed WADA’s sanction, the agency found more evidence of doping cover-ups. A WADA compliance report in late November 2019 said it had found that hundreds of likely positive doping tests had been deleted from a database of results held by Russia’s anti-doping lab given to the agency that year.

In December 2019, WADA’s executive committee voted unanimously to ban Russia from fielding any athletes at international sporting events, including the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 winter Olympics in Beijing.

“Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and re-join the global anti-doping community for the good of its athletes and of the integrity of sport, but it chose instead to continue in its stance of deception and denial,” Sir Craig Reedie, WADA’s then-president, said in 2019.

WADA’s ban, which was reduced from four years to two years, also prohibits Russia from officially participating in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Other nations have been banned from competing in past Olympics. The IOC banned Afghanistan from the 2000 summer Olympic Games in Sydney because of the Taliban’s discrimination against women.

In 2016, Kuwait was banned from officially sending athletes to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio due to a national law that conflicted with the Olympic Movement. Athletes from that country took part in the 2016 games under the moniker “athletes from Kuwait.”

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