Coronavirus Postpones Indoor Champs
(ATR) Uncertainty over the spread of the coronavirus in China is forcing World Athletics to postpone the 2020 Indoor Championships in Nanjing for one year.
Originally planned for March 13-15, World Athletics says it will work to determine new dates in March 2021 for Nanjing.
"We know that China is doing all it can to contain the new Coronavirus and we support them in all their efforts but it is necessary to provide our athletes, Member Federations and partners with a clear way forward in what is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances.
The advice from our medical team, who are in contact with the World Health Organisation, is that the spread of the Coronavirus both within China and outside the country is still at a concerning level and no one should be going ahead with any major gathering that can be postponed," says the press release from the athletics federation.
The statement acknowledges that cities in other countries had volunteered to stage the event. World Athletics says uncertainty over the spread of the virus ruled that out, "as it may lead to further postponement at a later date".
The federation says it wants Nanjing to be the host "given the extensive planning and preparation they have put into this event".
Russia Facing Banishment by World Athletics
It’s now up to Russia to decide whether there will be any Russians competing in athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
World Athletics on Wednesday said it would give the country the option to avoid expulsion after the federation’s independent Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) referred anti-doping charges against the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) to the World Athletics Council.
The AIU board made the decision after reviewing RusAF’s response to serious breaches of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules relating to the involvement of RusAF officials and representatives in the submission of forged documents and false explanations to the AIU in connection with the whereabouts failures case of Russian athlete, Danil Lysenko.
Instead of admitting the charges and expressing contrition, RusAF has instead "gone to great lengths to deny any involvement in the matter, blame others and attack the process", according to a statement from the AIU.
"This approach is deeply concerning for the AIU Board as it seems to indicate that the current leadership of the Federation is merely a continuation of the former."
The AIU Board recommended that the federation council maintain the suspension of the "authorized neutral athlete" process until the matter is determined and if the charges are upheld, consider expelling RusAF from the federation.
World Athletics, however, says it will send a letter to the acting RusAF president Yulia Tarasenko and to the new Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin offering a way out of the nuclear option of expulsion.
If RusAF and its former officials admit the charges, the World Athletics Council would decide during its meeting next month on a new process for Russian athletes to apply for "authorized neutral athlete" status moving forward.
The Council would also consider sanctions for RusAF’s breach of anti-doping rules but the penalties would not include any proposal to expel RusAF.
Finally, the council would also decide on a new process for the reinstatement of RusAF, which has been suspended since November 2015.
"We believe it’s important to give RusAF the opportunity to stay in the fold but it needs to be on an even playing field," Council member Willie Banks tells Around the Rings.
"Without admission of guilt and cleaning of the house you can never trust that everyone is playing on a level playing field."
On the other hand, should RusAF continue to deny the charges, World Athletics will go ahead and present its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who will resolve the dispute. If CAS upholds the charges, it will be up to Council to determine what sanctions to impose, including expulsion.
"Drastic actions only occur if they don’t abide by the rules," says Banks.
Written by Ed Hula and Gerard Farek
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