Russia's IAAF Suspension Stays

(ATR) The IAAF Council on Monday unanimously votes to keep the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) suspended.

The decision came hours after the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Executive Committee announced in Japan that it had opened compliance proceedings against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) after discrepancies were found in the data from a Moscow laboratory that RUSADA had handed over to WADA in January.

WADA is fast-tracking the procedure, which means RUSADA has three weeks to answer WADA’s questions about the data.

Rune Andersen, who chairs the IAAF taskforce on Russia, said his panel had taken note of what has been occurring with the WADA Executive Committee and that "the early indications from the analysis of the data are that there are discrepancies" with the data.Andersen also said that the IAAF's Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) investigations into the data were still ongoing, leaving one of the requirements for Russian reinstatement on hold.

Two other conditions have also not been met, according to Andersen.

One is "that there is a recurring problem of athletes and local athletics federations working with banned coaches which undermines the creation of any strong anti-doping culture. It is premature to tell if the reported measures taken by RusAF will work therefore the associated reinstatement conditions have not been met."

Additionally, Andersen says the IAAF’s Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is still investigating whether RusAF officials were involved with covering up possible doping by world indoor high jump champion Danil Lysenko.

Andersen did say that RusAF had met an additional condition for reinstatement by paying an outstanding invoice of $187,039 to the IAAF for costs incurred in the quarter ending June 30, 2019.

Russia has been banned from global athletics since 2015 following the state-sponsored doping scandal.

The decision to keep the suspension in place means Russian athletes cannot compete under their own flag at the World Championships, which begin on Friday in Doha.

Thirty Russian athletes who have met drug-testing and eligibility criteria will be competing as neutral athletes at the worlds.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe said that the council debated the issues at length on Monday and "the feeling was very strong" to keep the suspension of RusAF in place.

"It really does not remotely surprise me that the Council unanimously endorsed the strongest recommendation that we have probably thus had from the task force that the Russian federation remain suspended. That will be our position as we enter congress and I’m sure the member federations will want to endorse the unanimous decision that was struck by the council," Coe said.

The IAAF Congress meets on Wednesday in Doha.

Implications for Weightlifting, Too

Outside of the IAAF,the International Weightlifting Federation is expected to confer with WADA to "understand any implications" for cases it has brought against athletes stemming from the Moscow Laboratory after Russia was accused of manipulating the data.

U.S. Weightlifting CEO Phil Andrews says he has seen changes in Russia's anti-doping culture. But he says honesty is the key for restoring the credibility of Russia.

"It is unfortunate, but sadly not surprising to hear that there was a manipulation of data in Moscow. There are good people in Russia who are trying to make positive changes in the culture, including RFWF President Maxim Agapitov, but the past keeps coming back to haunt them. It is time for Russia to tell the whole truth, the full truth and nothing but the truth and to allow President Agapitov and others to move forward in a new clean era.

"Russia should be providing an example for other nations, such as Thailand, who have chosen dishonesty over the integrity of sport. They have that opportunity but to take it they must give the whole unadulterated truth to the world," says Andrews.

Written by Gerard Farek

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