On Friday, IAAF officially announced its decision to uphold the Russian Athletics Federation’s ban on the IAAF membership, which means that Russian athletes can not participate in worldwide competitions.
Advertisement
“I can’t answer that question because I don’t have full information and I await to see what happens at the Olympic summit (in Lausanne) tomorrow (Tuesday), when those authorities who do have that power to make those decisions will presumably be discussing them”.
“This is in line with the IOC’s long-held zero-tolerance policy…” The IOC stated on Saturday that it “fully respects” the IAAF’s decision.
The IAAF suspended Russian Federation previous year over concerns its athletes were guilty of systematic doping.
The IAAF, for example, was unable to confirm if Russian athletes would be allowed to march with their team-mates in the opening and closing ceremonies, or if any medals would count to Russia’s total.
Among those attending Tuesday’s meeting will be IAAF President Sebastian Coe and Russian Olympic Committee chief Alexander Zhukov, who has expressed hope that the Russians could still find a way back in.
“Members of the Russian State Duma are indignant at this idea – to ban our team take part in the Olympic Games”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to retain hope when he said on Friday: “We’ll talk to our colleagues at the anti-doping body, and I hope there’ll be an appropriate response from the International Olympic Committee”.
“Currently there is no evidence that the anti-doping issues within ARAF extend to the Russian Paralympic Committee or Russian Para-athletics team”.
This is why the IAAF will allow “a handful” of Russian athletes who can demonstrate spotless anti-doping records, verified by credible testing agencies, to apply to compete in Rio as independents.
WADA officials attending a special symposium at Lord’s cricket ground in central London on drugs in sport said there was a real need to restore trust in sport in Rio on behalf of the athletes.
A World Anti-Doping Agency report this week detailed athletes across Russian sport hiding in military cities where it is hard for drugs testers to access.
“I would say it was about knowing there was a system and structure in place to deal with those issues and (the IAAF ethics board) was the proper vehicle to do it”. Isinbayeva is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and won bronze in 2012.
“The IOC will initiate further far-reaching measures in order to ensure a level playing field for all the athletes taking part in the Olympic Games” in Rio, it said.
“In such circumstances, the (IAAF) Taskforce is very clear that the reinstatement conditions have not yet been satisfied, and in particular that RusAF (Russian athletics federation) can not yet credibly return to global competition without undermining the confidence of their competitors and the public in the integrity of that competition”.
Advertisement
An investigation funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency into allegations made by the former director of Moscow’s anti-doping lab Grigory Rodchenkov is now being led by Canadian legal expert Richard McLaren.
