Doping ban on Russian athletes extended

A doping ban on the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) was extended, after an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) taskforce recommendation was approved by the world athletics governing body's council, the media reported.

The taskforce, chaired by Rune Anderson, was set up to oversee Russia's reintegration into international athletics, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to its report to the IAAF council on Monday, the taskforce does not think "the council should consider reinstatement of RusAF's membership," because "there have been some negative developments since the council's meeting in December".

Meanwhile, the report also presented a roadmap to reinstatement, saying that only when certain demands are met can RusAF return to IAAF membership.

The RusAF was asked to fully cooperate with French criminal authorities and to ensure "the testing of Russian athletes is taking place without any further adverse incidents or difficulties."

"If everything goes in accordance with the plan, there will be a full reinstatement by November 2017," Anderson said.

However, Russian track and field athletes will still have the chance to compete in international competitions, as Anderson noted that many Russian athletes had applied to compete as neutral ones.

The taskforce recommended that RusAF "be required to supply an official comment in respect to each application, providing any relevant information it holds, and specifically advising whether it agrees that the athlete applicant meets all of the criteria to be granted neutral athlete status."

RusAF was banned from the IAAF in November 2015 after an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) probe exposed state-sponsored doping on a massive scale.

The suspension was upheld last year, ruling almost all Russian track and field athletes out of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

--IANS

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