Russia will miss August’s World Athletics Championships in London after their doping ban was extended.
Russia, whose 15-month ban from athletics was prolonged at the IAAF’s Council meeting in Cap d’Ail near Monaco, could not be reintegrated into the sport before November.
Russia has been barred from international competition since November 2015 following a damaging report alleging that state-sponsored doping was rife in the country.
The ban had already been extended in March and then June 2016, preventing Russia’s athletes from competing at the Rio Olympics.
The Taskforce, which was set up to oversees Russia’s reintegration into international athletics, produced recommendations detailing a roadmap to reinstatement.
The roadmap to reinstatement specifies that “testing of Russian athletes must take place without further incidents or difficulties” and that RusAF takes “demonstrable objective and practical steps to cultivate the clean sport movement”.
So far in 2017, 35 Russian athletes have applied to compete as neutral athletes in international competition.
More than 1,000 Russian athletes were part of a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015, according to the McLaren report, commissioned by Wada and published in December.
The IAAF has put together a “roadmap” that Russia must follow before athletes can once again take part in international competition. It includes:
1. Russia providing an “appropriate official response” addressing points raised in the McLaren report;
2. Drug testing being “carried out without any further adverse incidents or difficulties”;
Rusaf taking “demonstrable and practical” steps to improve clean sport;
3. Rusada being reinstated as “a truly autonomous, independent and properly resourced national anti-doping organisation”.
4. Freeze on changing nationalities.
