World Athletics will continue its ban on Russia and Belarus due to the war in Ukraine.
“The recommendation of the working group was to maintain the current sanctions with no need to amend them unless there is a significant deterioration in the situation or a peace agreement is reached,” said Coe.
JUST IN- No return for Russian and Belarusian athletes to the world stage
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The ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions will not be lifted until a peace agreement ends the war in Ukraine, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has said. pic.twitter.com/eRQbSVhbVz
The ban, in place since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prevents athletes from competing under the Russian or Belarusian flag.
Currently, as Coe indicated, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) continues to include athletes from the two nations in its international test pool “in anticipation of eventual peace.”
Before the 2022 ban, the two countries served a global suspension for proven systematic doping.
The ban will continue for an undetermined length of time.
Last week, Coe lost his bid to become the president of the International Olympic Committee. Instead Zimbabwe’s Kristy Coventry won to become the first African to do so.
