- Title: No end in sight for Russia's athletics ban
- Date: 1st December 2016
- Summary: MONACO (DECEMBER 1, 2016) (REUTERS) DELEGATES ENTERING ROOM FOR IAAF NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS DELEGATES (SOUNDBITE) (English) IAAF PRESIDENT LORD SEBASTIAN COE OF UK SAYING: "The governance structure reform proposals provide the required checks and balances to ensure our sport is protected in future. I do not want this sport to ever return to the grotesque stories that even over the last few days we've been waking up to" VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) IAAF TASK FORCE HEAD RUNE ANDERSEN OF NORWAY SAYING: "So I reported to the council today that RUSAF (Russian athletics federation) has made further progress towards satisfying the reinstatement conditions since June 2016, including rolling out anti-doping education modules for coaches and athletes; securing co-operation by the Russian criminal authorities with their French counterparts; and the Russian parliament, the Duma, passing a new law criminalising the supply of prohibited substances to athletes" VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDERSEN SAYING: "One of the key remaining issues is how to demonstrate that IAAF and RUSADA (Russian anti-doping association), once it is reinstated, will be able to conduct their anti-doping programmes in Russia without outside interference. To address this point, the Task Force will go to Moscow in January to assess the response to Professor McLaren's final report, which is due on the 9th of December. It will also closely monitor RUSADA's effort to meet the conditions set by WADA for reinstatement as a truly autonomous, independent and properly resourced NADO. The Task Force will report again on progress at the council's next meeting in February 2017, so in about two months. At that time it hopes to be able to identify a clear 'road map' and timetable for RUSAF's reinstatement" VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 16th December 2016 20:17
- Keywords: Athletics IAAF Russia ban task force Andersen Coe
- Location: MONACO
- City: MONACO
- Country: Monaco
- Reuters ID: LVA0015B20PQ7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Russia's athletics ban will run into 2017 and may include the August world championships after a Task Force monitoring the nation's anti-doping programme declined on Thursday (December 1) to put any dates on a "road map" for a return.
Rune Andersen, the Norwegian heading the independent Task Force, reported to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council that there had been areas of progress, but many issues still needed clarifying in the New Year.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe said the Council felt "comforted" the changes had come about as a result of the decision to ban the Russians, but recognised that athletics still had work to do to regain the trust of the public.
"The governance structure reform proposals provide the required checks and balances to ensure our sport is protected in future. I do not want this sport to ever return to the grotesque stories that even over the last few days we've been waking up to," he said in reference to recent allegations of more corruption in the organisation under its previous leadership.
The Russian athletics federation (RUSAF) was banned in November 2015 after an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) probe exposed state-sponsored doping on a massive scale.
The suspension was upheld earlier this year, ruling almost all Russian track and field athletes out of the Rio Olympics.
On Thursday, Andersen indicated there was a chink of light for the country, one of the super-powers of athletics.
"So I reported to the council today that RUSAF has made further progress towards satisfying the reinstatement conditions since June 2016, including rolling out anti-doping education modules for coaches and athletes; securing co-operation by the Russian criminal authorities with their French counterparts; and the Russian parliament, the Duma, passing a new law criminalising the supply of prohibited substances to athletes," said Andersen.
Professor Richard McLaren, co-author of the independent WADA report, is due to release the second part of his findings in London next week.
"One of the key remaining issues is how to demonstrate that IAAF and RUSADA (Russian anti-doping association), once it is reinstated, will be able to conduct their anti-doping programmes in Russia without outside interference. To address this point, the Task Force will go to Moscow in January to assess the response to Professor McLaren's final report, which is due on the 9th of December. It will also closely monitor RUSADA's effort to meet the conditions set by WADA for reinstatement as a truly autonomous, independent and properly resourced NADO. The Task Force will report again on progress at the council's next meeting in February 2017, so in about two months. At that time it hopes to be able to identify a clear 'road map' and timetable for RUSAF's reinstatement," said the Task Force head.
However, he declined to give any further likely timeframe and it appears unlikely the nation will be in the frame for the European indoor championships in Belgrade in March.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin used his state of the nation address to say he thought effective measures would be in place early in the New Year.
"I am sure the so-called doping scandal will allow us to create the most advanced system of righting this evil in Russia," Putin said.
"I assume the national programme of counter-acting doping will be ready as early as the beginning of next year."
On Friday, the IAAF will announce the winners of the male and female athlete of the year awards while Saturday's Congress is to discuss and almost certainly improve Coe's radical shakeup of the organisation.
Those changes, geared towards making the IAAF more accountable and transparent and establishing an independent integrity unit, will be debated against a backdrop of more allegations of massive corruption by Coe's predecessor Lamine Diack and his son Papa Massata Diack.
Both men are being investigated by French prosecutors for alleged corruption and money-laundering and have been accused of accepting bribes to cover up positive doping tests and influencing the award of hosting rights for major events. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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