Russia has been handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Axar.az reports citing The Week that the authority voted unanimously for the ban, which means the Russian flag and national anthem will not be permitted at events such as the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Russian athletes who can prove they are drug-free will be able to compete under a neutral banner.

WADA's executive committee took the decision after finding that Moscow had tampered with laboratory data. The Wall Street Journal said the country’s “repeated brazen efforts to mislead authorities” have caught up with it.