From Inside the Games
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) must avoid politicising the crisis in the country following a string of positive drug tests.
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe revealed last week that Russia were to be given more time to prove they were tackling the crisis, but refused to lift a suspension imposed on the country last November.
The ban followed the publication of the first WADA Independent Commission report which found evidence of state-supported doping in athletics.
While Rune Andersen, the Norwegian leading the Taskforce overseeing Russia’s reinstatement, claimed there had been “considerable progress”, the IAAF are now set to review the decision at its next Council meeting in May.
If the ban is not lifted, Russian athletes will not be able to compete at Rio 2016.
The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was also declared non-compliant by WADA following the reports.
WADA Independent Commission head Richard Pound claimed earlier this week that Russia had not been taking the issue seriously enough, stating that “there seems to be some evidence that they’re just changing deckchairs on the Titanic.”
