Athletics wants Russia back, says European Athletics chief

Record ID: 348112

  • Title: Athletics wants Russia back, says European Athletics chief
  • Date: 2nd March 2017
  • Summary: BELGRADE, SERBIA (MARCH 2, 2017) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VESELIN JEVROSIMOVIC, PRESIDENT OF SERBIAN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (LEFT) AND SVEIN ARNE HANSEN, PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS SVEIN ARNE HANSEN AND OTHERS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION, SVEIN ARNE
  • Embargoed: 16th March 2017 15:49
  • Keywords: European Athletics Svein Arne Hansen Veselin Jevrosimovic Nafissatou Thiam
  • Location: BELGRADE, SERBIA
  • City: BELGRADE, SERBIA
  • Country: Serbia
  • Topics: Athletics,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA001669OR3Z
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:European Athletics Association President Svein Arne Hansen said on Thursday (March 2) that national associations want Russia to return to competition, drug free.
    Speaking at a news conference the day before the start of the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Hansen said he thought there was a change in mentality in Russia and progress was being made.
    The IAAF has banned Russian athletes from international competition, except under special supervision, since before the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games last year.
    "We are working very closely on this situation and we had a meeting in Monaco a month ago, I think it was, where the task force gave their report and they saw progress in Russia," said Hansen. "And I see progress in Russia."
    "We want Russia back," he continued. "That is for clear. We have not come to the sport to not include all athletes. And I have that feeling that in Russia there is a change of mentality, especially as you said even at the top level."
    Hansen's remarks came after Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday (March 1) that the country never had a state-sponsored doping programme, but admitted that Russia's anti-doping programme had proved ineffective.
    Some Russian track and field athletes have been cleared to compete at international events because they have trained in a setting where independent dope testing has taken place. At present, they have to compete under a neutral flag and only a handful of them will be present at the indoor championships in Serbia.
    The most high-profile Russian competitor in the Belgrade Arena will be women's long jump medal hopeful Darya Klishina, the only Russian track and field athlete allowed to take part in the 2016 Olympics.
    Athletes competing in Belgrade lined up with Hansen for photographs, among them Nafissatou Thiam, Belgium's heptathlon Olympic gold medal winner from Rio.
    The athletes' bibs declared "I am clean" and Hansen stressed efforts to ensure all competition was dope-free went on.
    "This is an umbrella brand that we are working under giving a strong message from the athletes that they want to compete with other clean athletes. Not only in our championships but in all other competitions. We believe that athletes are committed to follow this because none of us would be in this sport if we didn't believe in clean sport," he said.
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