The International Association of Athletics Federations, the governing body of the sport of track and field, failed the sport by letting some Russians compete independently in international competition. The International Olympic Committee’s effort at a so-called ban was even more pathetic than the IAAF’s, specifically to do with the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
The IAAF are threatening Russia again. Is the IAAF’s bark louder than its bite?
Inside the Games reports that the IAAF wants to see progress.
The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) could face the prospect of being expelled by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) should progress not be made towards reinstatement in the coming months.
A ban on Russian track and field athletes from international competition has been in place since November 2015 following a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which found evidence of state-supported doping.
The IAAF Council today accepted a recommendation from the IAAF Taskforce not to reinstate RusAF at their meeting.
Rune Andersen, chair of the Taskforce, said the recommendation was due to numerous criteria remaining outstanding.
The Norwegian claimed that if progress was not made in the coming months, a recommendation could be made to withdraw permission for clean Russian athletes to compete neutrally, while also having the potential to explore the expulsion of Russian membership entirely.
This would be considered at the IAAF Council meeting in July.
“The Taskforce will now call for an urgent meeting with RusAF and the Russian Ministry of Sport to impress upon them the need to resolve these issues without further delay,” Andersen said.
“The Council agreed that if promises are not met, at the next Council meeting in July 2018 further measures should be discussed.
“Including withdrawing permission for Russian athletes to compete as neutral athletes in international competition and taking the steps necessary to recommend to Congress that RusAF be expelled from the IAAF.”
Despite progress made by RusAF, there are concerns over a deadlock regarding several aspects of the reinstatement criteria, previously agreed by the Taskforce and the national federation.
Central to this is the reinstatement of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and acknowledgment of the findings of the McLaren and Schmid reports into doping in the country.
Russian officials have repeatedly said they will not accept the findings, however, leaving RUSADA’s reinstatement at an impasse.
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