(ATR) Russian track and field athletes now know what they must do to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
On Thursday, the IAAF released the guidelines that athletes must adhere to in order to be granted "exceptional eligibility" for international competitions.
The IAAF Council upheld the suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) on June 17 after it determined the federation had not met the reinstatement criteria necessary to ensure its athletes would be clean ahead of the Rio Games.
ARAF was suspended on Nov. 13 following the release of the World Anti-Doping Agency Independent Commission report that detailed state-sponsored doping activities within Russia, particularly among track and field athletes.
Although the athletics federation remains suspended, the IAAF created a narrow loophole that could allow Russian athletes that are demonstrably clean to compete at the upcoming Games this August – the caveat being that the athletes must compete under a neutral flag, not Russia’s.
The guidelines released Thursday propose 11 factors that the IAAF Doping Review Board will use to determine the eligibility of athletes, primarily taking into consideration the amount of contact between the athlete and ARAF and other officials or athletes implicated in the doping scandal.
The Doping Review Board consists of Robert Hersh, Antti Pihlakoski and the replacement of Abby Hoffman – the only IAAF Taskforce member from Russia who has a conflict of interest – and could also include a member of WADA if the board deems outside help necessary.
To be considered for reinstatement, athletes must submit as much evidence as possible answering the 11 sets of questions found here to the interim IAAF general secretary Jean Gracia at least two weeks ahead of the competition they are seeking to enter. Russian athletes seeking entry into the Olympics would need to file an application by July 22.
"The more important the International Competition in which the applicant is seeking to compete, the more corroborating evidence the applicant will have to provide in order to meet that burden," the IAAF said in a statement.
All decisions taken by the Doping Review Board could be subject to appeals from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, further extending an already complicated process.
CAS is likely to rule on the suspension of ARAF itself prior to determining individual athlete eligibility as ARAF promises to file an appeal to the June 17 decision by next week.
"Class actions will be filed for certain, but some individual suits are also possible," ARAF secretary general Mikhail Butov told Russian news agency TASS. "We are going to have consultations with these lawyers in the coming days. Then we will make the final decision."
With just over one month remaining until the Olympics begin Aug. 5, time is running out for the IAAF and CAS to resolve these outstanding issues.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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