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Although not a part of athletics, the fact that World Triathlon has found a significant number of doping cases in Russia is cause for alarm.

For example, 124th-world-ranked Igor Polyanskiy was banned for three years and disqualified from the Tokyo Olympics in October after admitting to taking EPO.

Former Russian champion and two-time Olympian Alexander Bryukhankov is also banned for the presence of EPO.

The Russian Triathlon Federation has now been sanctioned by World Triathlon.

The sanction will be effective for one year, and World Triathlon will review quarterly that these measures are being followed.

The sanctions approved by the Executive Board consists of the following:

– The Russian Triathlon Federation will reach an agreement with RUSADA to test all Russian athletes, especially all those athletes who will be competing internationally.

– The Russian Triathlon Federation will, together with World Triathlon, create an education plan for Russian athletes and coaches in regard to doping issues.

– The Russian Triathlon Federation will compensate and refund the prize monies previously awarded to the Russian triathletes sanctioned with doping offenses.

– Russian Triathlon Federation officials must resign from any World Triathlon and European bodies for the period of one year.
– The Russian Triathlon Federation cannot organise any World or European Triathlon events for one year (until the end of 2022).

– The Russian National Federation is to reimburse World Triathlon for all costs (including but not limited to laboratory fees, hearing expenses, and travel) related to any of the violations of the Anti-Doping Rules committed by their athletes and coaches.

– Sanctions must be taken inside the Russian National Triathlon Federation for any coach or official that is involved in any doping violation, and collaboration must be made with World Triathlon disciplinary bodies.

Cheating or doping seems to be a part of the Russian culture and appears that it will never end.

Russian whistleblower Vitaly Stepanov told Athletics Illustrated, “in Russia we don’t call it cheating, we say, “we have an understanding.”

World Athletics Council voted to continue Russian ban

In November, the 126-member World Athletics Council Wednesday, voted in favour to continue the Russian Athletics Federation (RAF) suspension. The Council feels that RAF has not met all of the reinstatement requirements. Eighteen delegates voted against the continuation while 34 abstained.

*Russian Athletics Federation (RAF) was previously, “All-Russia Athletics Federation (RusAF).

“Athletics is very important for Russia. The Russian Athletics Federation enjoys strong support from the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation and the Russian Olympic Committee on our path to rejoining the global athletics family,” said RusAF acting President Irina Privalova.

World Athletics Council voted to allow some athletes to compete

In March 2021 World Athletics Council voted on Thursday to allow some Russian athletes to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) program had permitted some Russian athletes to compete in international competitions under a neutral flag. Cancelled last March, the program is back on for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

A total of 10 Russian athletes will be accepted and will have to apply for the opportunity to compete in Tokyo.

Rune Anderson, Chairman of the World Athletics Taskforce, said that Russia has now begun the long reinstatement process.

On March 1, 2021, they unanimously voted for the approval of the reinstatement plan for the ANA program to return and eventually allow the Russian back in.

Sebastian Coe warned earlier in the week that this vote of confidence is just the beginning of that very long process.

“It won’t mean anything unless RusAF (Russian Athletics Federation) now cheerfully and consistently completes all of the enormous works that are required to lift the ban and to put in place the enduring change in culture that Russian athletics so desperately needs,” said Anderson.

Russia has had a long and tumultuous record of stumbling during its process to be reinstated since 2015.

The disgraced Russians have tripped so many times on the road to reinstatement they should just stay down. Doping and cheating span athletics, many other sports as well as their national sport organisation’s administration, Russian anti-doping, and Russian Athletics Federation, they cannot be taken seriously.

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