US athletes plan protests against Russian participants at 2020 Tokyo Games

US athletes are reportedly planning to stage protests at next summer’s Olympics in Japan if Russian participants, who will more than likely compete as neutrals, win medals there.

The move is apparently dictated by American athletes’ disagreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) decision to allow clean Russian competitors to take part in major sporting events under a neutral flag.

READ MORE: WADA's Russia ban contradicts Olympics charter, Russia has every reason to appeal – Putin

On Monday, WADA’s executive committee unanimously voted to hand a four-year ban to Russia, prohibiting the country from taking part in and hosting international sporting events, for alleged manipulations of doping data retrieved from a Moscow laboratory.

The newly-imposed sanctions allow clean Russian athletes who have never been implicated in doping scandals to compete as neutral athletes, something that US sports figures are not satisfied with.

Last week, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) chief Travis Tygart called for a ban on all Russian athletes in Tokyo, including those with clean record.

It remains unknown how US sport stars plan to protest against their Russian counterparts next summer, as demonstrations are strictly prohibited by International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules.

“Olympic Village and the other Games venues and sites should focus on sport and remain free from advertising/publicity or any kind of demonstrations or political, religious and racial propaganda,” the IOC’s ‘Rule 50’ states.

In July, Australian swimmer Mack Horton was sanctioned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) for his refusal to share a podium with Chinese rival Sun Yang who was suspected of violating doping rules.