No-nonsense IAAF maintain their doping ban on Russia
MONACO: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) extended their ban on Russia’s participation in international competitions, 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 (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a meeting of the IAAF council were not prepared to draw the line under the scandal of Russian doping and cover-ups.
The IAAF still have two remain- ing conditions for Russia to be reinstated. They want the country to pay their 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. While Russia has promised to pay, “We need to receive the money.”
The IAAF are also pressuring for their 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 such issue is resolved one way or another,” he said.
The IAAF stance won outside praise. British sports minister Mims Davies said it sent “a clear message that Russia must co-operate fully before it can be back in the fold.”
The US Anti-Doping Agency said upholding the ban “is a refreshing reminder that anti-doping decision-making should always be built on principles.
“We all hope a clean Russia returns to the international sport- ing community, but not at the expense of clean athletes.”
The Moscow lab data could reach the IAAF via the WADA, which has set a year-end deadline to receive it. Track and field’s anti-doping unit would then have to analyse the information to satisfy the IAAF that it “hasn’t been tampered with,” Andersen said.
Unclear was how long all this might take. IAAF President Sebastian Coe noted the next IAAF council meeting is scheduled for March. The world championships open in Doha in late September.