RUSSIA will be able to participate in Euro 2020 even if the four-year ban on hosting sporting events goes ahead after doping scandal.
A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) committee have recommended that Russia be banned from hosting any sporting events for four years as one of a series of “strong consequences” after discovering inconsistencies in anti-doping.
The compliance review committee (CRC) made its recommendations based on an investigation into alleged tampering with data from a Moscow Laboratory in January earlier this year.
READ MORE: WADA recommends four-year ban for Russia on hosting sporting events after doping scandal
However, Russia will still be able to compete in UEFA’s Euro 2020 competition, which they have already qualified for, even if WADA's executive committee and the Court of Arbitration back the recommendations.
The International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories, which sets the rules on anti-doping breaches, does not define UEFA as a 'Major Event Organisation', which it would need to be for Russia to be unable to participate.
A Major Event Organisation is defined as “continental associations of National Olympic Committees and other international multi-sport organisations that function as the ruling body for any continental, regional or other international events”.
Russia’s Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg is also noted as one of the venues across 12 cities for next summer's football European Championship.
They have, however, been banned from the Tokyo Olympics next year as well as other major sports competitions after being excluded from the 2018 Winter Games.
The recommendations made by CRC make it clear that Russian athletes can still compete as long as they haven't been implicated in Russia's doping scheme. The report specifically states individual athletes can compete "where they are able to demonstrate that they are not implicated in any way by the non-compliance".
This was accepted by International Olympic Committee who said the attempts to cover up positive results are "an insult to the sporting movement worldwide."
Single sport world championships are also covered in the code, so it remains to be seen if Russia can enter qualification for 2022 World Cup that is being held in Qatar.
READ MORE: Scotland's potential Euro 2020 play-off opponents confirmed
FIFA released a statement on Tuesday which said: “We will await the final considerations of the WADA executive committee on this matter until any potential material decision is taken by FIFA.
“FIFA is in permanent contact with WADA and ASOIF (the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) in this regard."
The recommendations, which include the country’s flag not to be flown at any major event in the four-year period and withdrawing the right to host an event that has already been awarded unless it's "legally and practically impossible" to re-assign the event to another country, will be considered by WADA’s executive committee and a final decision will be made on December 9 at a meeting in Paris.
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