Olympics-Russia should not assume doping sanctions will be lifted, says WADA

FILE PHOTO: WADA's Witold Banka attends a news conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, December 9, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

BEIJING (Reuters) - Russia should not assume sanctions imposed for running a state sponsored doping programme will be automatically lifted when their suspension is completed at the end of year, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) warned on Wednesday.

For the third consecutive Olympics, Russian athletes will participate as neutrals at the Beijing Winter Games, barred from competing under their own flag, and WADA president Witold Banka did not rule out the possibility of that ban continuing.