Russia Was Banned from International Competition for State Doping

In November 2015, the World Anti-Doping Agency dropped a bombshell on the sports world by accusing Russia of operating a state-sponsored doping program. An independent investigation found evidence of widespread doping cover-ups, sample tampering, and corruption involving Russian athletics officials, anti-doping authorities, and even the secret police. The scandal was particularly shocking because of evidence that samples were swapped at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics with help from Russian intelligence agents. As a result, Russian track and field athletes were banned from international competition. At subsequent Olympics, Russian athletes who could prove they were clean were allowed to compete under a neutral Olympic flag rather than the Russian flag. The scandal represented one of the most serious attacks on the integrity of international sport in history.