© Copyright – 2022 – Athletics Illustrated
Sebastian Coe and World Athletics released a statement denouncing the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
“World Athletics is appalled by developments in Ukraine and condemns the Russian military invasion,” World Athletics wrote in a statement.
President Sebastian Coe has offered World Athletics senior vice-president Sergey Bubka, who is Ukrainian, and the Ukrainian Athletics Federation “whatever practical support we can give.”
The Russian Athletics Federation has been suspended since 2015 for systematic doping, corruption, data manipulation, and various other charges.
World Athletics is appalled by developments in Ukraine and condemns the Russian military invasion.
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 24, 2022
Full statement 👇
Russia competed as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) under the Olympic flag at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games and the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. There was no playing of the Russian national anthem.
Allegedly, the corruption as well as the doping is something that Russian President Vladimir Putin was well aware of and allegedly connected to. It was also his plan to invade Ukraine.
Russian doping continues. The most recent development was of 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva who tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug trimetazidine. She claimed that she must have taken in some of her grandfather’s prescription used to treat his heart condition. This turns out to be nearly impossible. Additionally, she admitted to taking hypoxen and the amino acid L-carnitine. L-carnitine is not banned, however, large doses are linked to providing benefits to the cardiovascular system, as does hypoxen. The three together make for a performance-enhancing cocktail.
In regards to upcoming championships, World Athletics is not counting the 2022 events out yet. “We continue to monitor the situation carefully, but there is no reason to believe this will affect plans for the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 or the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22. Should these circumstances change, we will notify all our stakeholders promptly.
Please note that the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) has been suspended from World Athletics since 2015, due to doping violations, and therefore is not eligible to host World Athletics events or send teams to international championships.”
