Exceptional eligibility guidelines for international competition

The IAAF has today published a set of guidelines for athletes seeking exceptional eligibility for International Competition under Competition Rule 22.1A.

The guidelines come following last week’s IAAF Council Meeting, where it was decided that the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) had not met the verification criteria to be reinstated as an IAAF Member Federation.

A rule amendment was also passed which means that if there are any individual athletes who can clearly and convincingly show that they are not tainted by the Russian system because they have been outside the country and subject to other effective anti-doping systems, then they should be able to apply for permission to compete in international competitions, not for Russia but as a neutral athlete.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe said: "Both the Taskforce and the Doping Review Board have worked extremely hard to get to where we are today, just days away from the European Championships. We know there are some Russian athletes considering applying to compete in international competitions under this new rule so it is important they are all clear about the criteria under which their application will be reviewed."

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