From Inside the Games
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has claimed the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) does not seem keen to reinstate the country’s membership.
The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF), previously known as the All-Russia Athletics Federation, has been suspended since November 2015 following the publication of the first World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission report into numerous allegations of anti-doping rule violations.
Russian track and field athletes were subsequently banned from all international competitions and missed out on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The only exception to this at the Games was long jumper Darya Klishina, who was allowed to compete after she showed satisfactory recent history of recognised doping tests.
At last month’s IAAF Council meeting, it was confirmed Russian track and field athletes will remain suspended from international competition in the wake of widespread doping abuse, until February at least.
It came after an IAAF Taskforce, headed by Rune Andersen, told the Council that Russia has yet to provide convincing evidence that anti-doping procedures within its borders can be conducted effectively and without interference.
The Taskforce is due to travel to Moscow this month and the Council will reconvene in February.
Mutko says Russia has “scaled back” its activities aimed at restoring IAAF membership as the world governing body “does not seem eager” to restore the country’s membership.
“If it was, all this could have been done much faster,” he told TASS.
“Until now, everything has been based on formal principles: they publish some criteria, ask questions and say we should come tomorrow.
“The next meeting will be held on January 23, after that a three-month pause is expected, so the process is rather slow.”
