LAUSANNE (Switzerland) • Russia was banned from the Olympics and other major world championships for four years yesterday, after officials decided to punish it for tampering with doping-related laboratory data. This is another blow to the country's already tarnished sporting reputation.

The decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) imposed a ban on Russia taking part in a range of top-flight sporting tournaments for a period covering the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar.

Wada's executive committee took the decision after concluding that Moscow had tampered with laboratory data by planting fake evidence and deleting files linked to positive doping tests that could have helped identify drug cheats.

A spokesman said the decision, which Russia can still appeal against at the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 21 days, was unanimous.

"Wada's executive committee approved unanimously to assert a non-compliance on the Russian anti-doping agency for a period of four years," said Mr James Fitzgerald, speaking at a meeting of the executive committee in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The ruling means Russian athletes will still be allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics next year as neutrals, but only if they can demonstrate that they were not part of what Wada believes was a state-sponsored system of doping.

"They are going to have to prove they had nothing to do with the non-compliance, (that) they were not involved in the doping schemes as described by the McLaren report, or they did not have their samples affected by the manipulation," Mr Fitzgerald added.

Russia has been embroiled in doping scandals since a 2015 report commissioned by Wada found evidence of mass doping in Russian athletics.

Its doping woes have grown since, with many of its athletes sidelined from the past two Olympics and the country stripped of its flag altogether at last year's Pyeongchang Winter Games as punishment for state-sponsored doping cover-ups at the 2014 Sochi Games.

One of the conditions for the reinstatement of Russian anti-doping agency Rusada, which was suspended in 2015 in the wake of the athletics doping scandal but reinstated last year, had been that Moscow provide an authentic copy of the laboratory data.

The sanctions effectively strip the agency of its accreditation.

Russian Olympic officials had been bracing themselves for yesterday's decision.

Mr Yuri Ganus, the head of Rusada, told the Associated Press last week that the sanctions "were to be expected, and they're justified".

Wada president Craig Reedie said yesterday that the decision showed its "determination to act resolutely in the face of the Russian doping crisis". He told the BBC: "For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport. The blatant breach by the Russian authorities of Rusada's reinstatement conditions demanded a robust response. That is exactly what has been delivered.

"Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and rejoin 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."

Others, though, felt Russia should have received heavier punishment. "I'm not happy with the decision we made today. But this is as far as we could go," said Wada vice-president Linda Helleland, a Norwegian lawmaker who has long pushed for a tougher line against Russia.

"This is the biggest sports scandal the world has ever seen. I would expect now a full admission from the Russians and for them to apologise for all the pain all the athletes and sports fans have experienced."

Although Russia will not be at the World Cup in 2022, its football team will be able to compete at Euro 2020, in which St Petersburg is one of the host cities.

European football's governing body Uefa is not considered a major event organisation when it comes to rulings on anti-doping breaches.

Russia, however, may not host, or bid for or be granted the right to host any major event for four years, including the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games, according to Wada.