Nanjing Awarded 2020 World Indoor Championships, Russian Federation Ban Remains - IAAF Council, Day 2

The second and final day of the 212th IAAF Council Meeting, chaired by IAAF President Sebastian Coe, was held today (26) at Le Meridien hotel, Monaco.

IAAF WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2020

Following three passionate and technically high-level presentations made by all three candidates, the Chinese city of Nanjing was awarded the IAAF World Indoor Championships 2020.

Delegations from the three candidate cities made their presentations to Council in the following order (after the drawing of lots): Nanjing (CHN), Belgrade (SRB) and Torun (POL).

Athletes of the past and present played a central role in the presentations. They included China’s world shot put champion Gong Lijiao, Serbia’s European outdoor and indoor long jump champion Ivana Spanovic and Poland’s 2002 European indoor 400m champion Marek Plawgo.

Nanjing, a city of more than 8million, staged the 2014 Olympic Youth Games and will build a stadium specifically for the World Indoor Championships in the Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park. It will offer a permanent legacy as an athletics training centre after the championships.

"I look forward to celebrating the very best of world athletics in 2020 in Nanjing," said Coe. "The hosting of these championships will assist the development of an already established and growing culture of athletics in the country.

"We were impressed with all the bids, particularly the involvement of athletes in the presentations and the plans for permanent athletics legacy at elite and community level which was central to all three visions for 2020," he added. "There can only be one winner in any race but I hope that Belgrade and Torun will return in future years to bid for other championships, as you each have so much to offer to the future of athletics."

Hu Wanjin, Vice Mayor of Nanjing and a member of the bid presentation delegation, commented: "It is a great honor for the ancient and modern city Nanjing to win the right to host the IAAF World Indoor Championships 2020. In the following two-and-a-half years, with the help and guidance of the Chinese Athletics Association, the whole city will spare no effort to deliver a wonderful sports festival."

RUSSIAN FEDERATION (RUSAF) REINSTATEMENT

The current status (click here for full report) is that most, but not all, of the Verification Criteria have been met. Of the five remaining conditions in the Roadmap, one has been fully met to date (support for the Clean Sport Movement), two others have only been partly met (satisfactory testing, and a solution to the problem of enforcement of provisional suspensions of coaches), and two have not been met at all (acknowledgement of McLaren findings; reinstatement of RUSADA).

Based on the above, the conditions established by the IAAF Council for reinstatement of RusAF to IAAF membership have not yet been met in full. Instead several material conditions remain outstanding, either in whole or in part and as a result the IAAF Council approved the unanimous recommendation of the IAAF Russian Taskforce not to reinstate RusAF until all of the reinstatement conditions the Council has set have been met in full. The Council also approved the Taskforce’s recommendation that the current Verification Criterion that a Russian athlete must undergo at least three tests in the six months prior to international competition be replaced with a requirement that RusAF ensure an effective, intelligent and proportionate test distribution plan is implemented for testing its athletes at the national level, with the Athletics Integrity Unit to determine whether this reinstatement condition has been met.

Commenting on the report, Rune Andersen, independent Chair of the IAAF Russian Taskforce said: "RusAF continue to work hard at reforming Russian track and field, and the Taskforce continues to support those efforts. However, there are several reinstatement conditions still to be satisfied. In particular, RusAF needs the Russian authorities to get RUSADA reinstated and to acknowledge the McLaren findings."

ATHLETICS INTEGRITY UNIT – MOROCCO REMOVED FROM WATCH LIST

Brett Clothier, the head of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), delivered an update report to Council on the countries placed on an anti-doping watch list.

AIU’s recommendation, which Council approved, was that Morocco is removed from the current anti-doping watch list of five countries but will be required to submit activity reports to the AIU during 2018.

Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya and Ukraine will remain on the list and a new set of requirements for these four federations will be prepared based upon their anti-doping activities in 2017. Monitoring of the compliance with those requirements will be made by the AIU Board who will report back to Council.

REMAINING ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AT IAAF COUNCIL THIS AFTERNOON

This afternoon the Council will hear reports from a number of Commissions including the Coaches Commission, the Values Commission, the Road Running Commission and the Competition Commission and an update from the Gender Leadership Commission.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only