IAAF extends international ban on Russia

The IAAF extended its ban on Russia’s participation in international competitions on Tuesday, with no clarity on whether the suspension may be lifted before next year’s world championships in Qatar.

Sticking to a harder line than the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee, a meeting of the International Association of Athletics Federations council wasn’t prepared to draw the line under the scandal of Russian doping and coverups.

The IAAF still has two remaining conditions for Russia to be reinstated. It wants the country to pay its substantial costs, including legal costs, incurred from dealing with the Russian doping crisis.

“This debt must be settled,” said Rune Andersen, who heads the IAAF task force dealing with Russia.

Russian media have reported the debt is around US$2.75 million.

The IAAF also is pressuring for its anti-doping unit to get access to data and drug-test samples from a Moscow laboratory that could help identify more Russian athletes suspected of doping.

“Russian athletes cannot return to international competition unconditionally until that ... issue is resolved, one way or another,” he said.

British sports minister Mims Davies said the IAAF stance sent “a clear message.”

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said: “We all hope a clean Russia returns to the international sporting community, but not at the expense of clean athletes.”

The Moscow lab data could reach the IAAF via WADA, which has set a year-end deadline to receive it. Track and field’s anti-doping unit would then have to analyze the information to satisfy the IAAF that it hasn’t been tampered with.

The next IAAF council meeting is scheduled for March. The world championships open in Doha in late September.