March 23, (THEWILL) – After an eight-year ban, World Athletics (WA) has voted to lift its suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF).
The ban was initially imposed in 2015 following the discovery of massive, state-sponsored doping and cover-ups. However, the lifting of the ban does not mean Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete in international competitions because of the ongoing separate ban over the invasion of Ukraine.
Head of WA’s Russia Task Force, Rune Andersen, stated that he was finally satisfied with the “new culture of good governance and zero tolerance for doping throughout the organization,” leading to the decision to lift the ban.
Despite dozens of Russian athletes being allowed to compete as neutrals in recent years, they too remain excluded from international competition due to the blanket ban that came into effect after the invasion of Ukraine.
The decision by the WA Council follows the European Athletics Council’s similar decision last week, that Russian and Belarusian athletes should remain banned from its events until the end of the war in Ukraine. The bans will stay in place until both countries meet the conditions for reinstatement.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
