Russian and Belarusian athletes remain banned from athletics for “forseeable future”
Lord Sebastian Coe, World Athletics President speaks with Athletes of Team Ukraine during the Athletics competition on day 9 of the European Championships Munich 2022 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
MONACO, March 24, 2023 - The World Athletics Council on Thursday (March 23) agreed to the reinstatement of the Russian Federation (RusAF) following seven years of suspension due to egregious institutional doping violations. However, athletes, officials and supporting personnel from Russia and Belarus are still excluded from competition for the foreseeable future due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia Taskforce recommendation
The Council approved the Russia Taskforce’s recommendation that RusAF, which has been suspended for seven years due to doping, be reinstated after meeting all the requirements of the Reinstatement plan, which has been confirmed by an independent audit.
However RusAF will be required to comply with a set of 35 'Special Conditions' that are intended to ensure that RusAf’s anti-doping reforms remain in place and continue to operate effectively.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS These Special Conditions are designed to enable the Athletics Integrity Unit to monitor, evaluate, communicate, mentor, oversee, and assist RusAF and its external stakeholders to ensure they maintain good governance practices and to protect RusAF from external pressures and attempts to influence or control its functioning.
They focus on four areas: organisational good governance, protection from inappropriate external influence and control, operational capability and capacity (with a particular emphasis on ethical and anti-doping requirements, and change in the regions), and budget allocation and fiscal management.
These Special Conditions are intended be applied for a period of three years, with a review at the end of that period to determine whether or not it is necessary to maintain those conditions (as they are or with variations) for a further period.
Totalling 35 separate monitoring and evaluation measures, the special conditions cover: organisational governance, presidium leadership oversight, anti-doping, cultural change in the regions, engagement with external stakeholders, ethics, anti-corruption and anti-conflicts of interest, fiscal management.
CATEGORY A MEMBER Further, the Athletics Integrity Unit, has determined that RusAF should be categorised as a Category ‘A’ member federation after its reinstatement.
That means that RusAF will have to comply not only with the general obligations applicable to all member federations that are set out in WA ADR 15.4 but also with the special obligations applicable to Category ‘A’ member federations that are set out in WA ADR 15.5. These federations are subject to greater scrutiny and more testing requirements.
RUSAF PAID ALL COSTS The Taskforce confirmed that RusAF has paid all of the costs of the reinstatement process until the end of 2022. World Athletics will invoice RusAF in early April for the costs incurred by World Athletics in January-March, and the prompt payment of that invoice will be one of the Special Conditions.
RusAF must also pay all of the costs incurred by the AIU in overseeing RusAF’s compliance with the Category A requirements and the Special Conditions over the next three years, as well as any World Athletics costs in connection with this oversight.
ANA PROGRAMME DISCONTINUED As a consequence of these decisions, the Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) programme will be discontinued, and the Doping Review Board, which rules on ANA applications, will be stood down.
RUSSIA TASKFORCE DISBANDED The Russia Taskforce, having completed its work, will be disbanded and the two international experts who have advised it will be stood down.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “I would like to express my deep gratitude to Rune Andersen and the Taskforce members for staying the course and helping us to resolve a major integrity issue in our sport. It has been a mammoth undertaking over seven years but their commitment and diligence has given the Council confidence that the Russian Federation has reformed its structure and culture and is now on the right path in terms of addressing doping issues. It is important that RusAF continues on this path, but we are confident the Athletics Integrity Unit has the expertise to monitor and assess the situation going forwards.”
War in Ukraine
The World Athletics Council has also reaffirmed the decision it originally made in March 2022, to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, support personnel, Member Federation officials and officials who are citizens of those two countries from all World Athetics Series events for the foreseeable future.
These sanctions take effect immediately and include:
a. no hosting of any International or European athletics events, which includes World Athletics Series, Continental Tour meetings and other International Competitions;
b. no right to attend, speak and/or vote at meetings of Congress;
c. no accreditation to attend any World Athletics Series events;
d. no involvement of Member Federation personnel in any official World Athletics development or professional programmes; and
e. Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel, Member Federation Officials and Officials who are Citizens of Russia and Belarus are excluded from World Athletics Series Events for the foreseeable future.
The Council recommends to the meeting organisers of the Diamond League, Continental Tour, Label Races and the various other Tours that they take the same approach and exclude Athletes and Officials from RusAF and the Belarus Athletic Federation.
The Council also agreed to establish a working group to advise and recommend to Council the conditions that would need to be met for the restrictions on Athletes and Officials from RusAF and the Belarus Athletic Federation participating at World Athletics Series Events to be lifted.
THE ONLY PEACEFUL WAY World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “As I noted at the time these measures were introduced last year, the unprecedented sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus by countries and industries all over the world appear to be the only peaceful way to disrupt and disable Russia’s current intentions and restore peace. The death and destruction we have seen in Ukraine over the past year, including the deaths of some 185 athletes, have only hardened my resolve on this matter. The integrity of our major international competitions has already been substantially damaged by the actions of the Russian and Belarusian governments, through the hardship inflicted on Ukrainian athletes and the destruction of Ukraine’s sports systems. Russian and Belarusian athletes, many of whom have military affiliations, should not be beneficiaries of these actions.”
In accordance with the World Athletics constitution, the Member Federations from Russia and Belarus have been informed of the Council’s decisions and have the right to respond. If necessary, the Council will reconvene to consider that response.
Russia Taskforce recommendation
The Council approved the Russia Taskforce’s recommendation that RusAF, which has been suspended for seven years due to doping, be reinstated after meeting all the requirements of the Reinstatement plan, which has been confirmed by an independent audit.
However RusAF will be required to comply with a set of 35 'Special Conditions' that are intended to ensure that RusAf’s anti-doping reforms remain in place and continue to operate effectively.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS These Special Conditions are designed to enable the Athletics Integrity Unit to monitor, evaluate, communicate, mentor, oversee, and assist RusAF and its external stakeholders to ensure they maintain good governance practices and to protect RusAF from external pressures and attempts to influence or control its functioning.
They focus on four areas: organisational good governance, protection from inappropriate external influence and control, operational capability and capacity (with a particular emphasis on ethical and anti-doping requirements, and change in the regions), and budget allocation and fiscal management.
These Special Conditions are intended be applied for a period of three years, with a review at the end of that period to determine whether or not it is necessary to maintain those conditions (as they are or with variations) for a further period.
Totalling 35 separate monitoring and evaluation measures, the special conditions cover: organisational governance, presidium leadership oversight, anti-doping, cultural change in the regions, engagement with external stakeholders, ethics, anti-corruption and anti-conflicts of interest, fiscal management.
CATEGORY A MEMBER Further, the Athletics Integrity Unit, has determined that RusAF should be categorised as a Category ‘A’ member federation after its reinstatement.
That means that RusAF will have to comply not only with the general obligations applicable to all member federations that are set out in WA ADR 15.4 but also with the special obligations applicable to Category ‘A’ member federations that are set out in WA ADR 15.5. These federations are subject to greater scrutiny and more testing requirements.
RUSAF PAID ALL COSTS The Taskforce confirmed that RusAF has paid all of the costs of the reinstatement process until the end of 2022. World Athletics will invoice RusAF in early April for the costs incurred by World Athletics in January-March, and the prompt payment of that invoice will be one of the Special Conditions.
RusAF must also pay all of the costs incurred by the AIU in overseeing RusAF’s compliance with the Category A requirements and the Special Conditions over the next three years, as well as any World Athletics costs in connection with this oversight.
ANA PROGRAMME DISCONTINUED As a consequence of these decisions, the Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) programme will be discontinued, and the Doping Review Board, which rules on ANA applications, will be stood down.
RUSSIA TASKFORCE DISBANDED The Russia Taskforce, having completed its work, will be disbanded and the two international experts who have advised it will be stood down.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “I would like to express my deep gratitude to Rune Andersen and the Taskforce members for staying the course and helping us to resolve a major integrity issue in our sport. It has been a mammoth undertaking over seven years but their commitment and diligence has given the Council confidence that the Russian Federation has reformed its structure and culture and is now on the right path in terms of addressing doping issues. It is important that RusAF continues on this path, but we are confident the Athletics Integrity Unit has the expertise to monitor and assess the situation going forwards.”
War in Ukraine
The World Athletics Council has also reaffirmed the decision it originally made in March 2022, to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, support personnel, Member Federation officials and officials who are citizens of those two countries from all World Athetics Series events for the foreseeable future.
These sanctions take effect immediately and include:
a. no hosting of any International or European athletics events, which includes World Athletics Series, Continental Tour meetings and other International Competitions;
b. no right to attend, speak and/or vote at meetings of Congress;
c. no accreditation to attend any World Athletics Series events;
d. no involvement of Member Federation personnel in any official World Athletics development or professional programmes; and
e. Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel, Member Federation Officials and Officials who are Citizens of Russia and Belarus are excluded from World Athletics Series Events for the foreseeable future.
The Council recommends to the meeting organisers of the Diamond League, Continental Tour, Label Races and the various other Tours that they take the same approach and exclude Athletes and Officials from RusAF and the Belarus Athletic Federation.
The Council also agreed to establish a working group to advise and recommend to Council the conditions that would need to be met for the restrictions on Athletes and Officials from RusAF and the Belarus Athletic Federation participating at World Athletics Series Events to be lifted.
THE ONLY PEACEFUL WAY World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “As I noted at the time these measures were introduced last year, the unprecedented sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus by countries and industries all over the world appear to be the only peaceful way to disrupt and disable Russia’s current intentions and restore peace. The death and destruction we have seen in Ukraine over the past year, including the deaths of some 185 athletes, have only hardened my resolve on this matter. The integrity of our major international competitions has already been substantially damaged by the actions of the Russian and Belarusian governments, through the hardship inflicted on Ukrainian athletes and the destruction of Ukraine’s sports systems. Russian and Belarusian athletes, many of whom have military affiliations, should not be beneficiaries of these actions.”
In accordance with the World Athletics constitution, the Member Federations from Russia and Belarus have been informed of the Council’s decisions and have the right to respond. If necessary, the Council will reconvene to consider that response.
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