MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2022) The World Athletics Council did not reinstate the membership of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) in the organization on Wednesday, however, a taskforce group will issue final recommendations on the reinstatement in March 2023, head of the World Athletics Russia Taskforce Group Rune Andersen said.
"The current RusAF leadership team has embedded a new culture of good governance and tolerance for doping throughout the organization. It has also taken concrete steps to spread that culture throughout the regions and (Russian Anti-Doping Agency) also appears to be working effectively at an operational level, including conducting testing of Russian athletes that appears to be of sufficient quantity and quality," Andersen said at a press conference.
The head emphasized that RusAF has taken various steps of initiatives that were not required by the reinstatement plan and the taskforce would like to meet with the federation's leadership in December.
"The taskforce expects to be in a position by March 2023 to make a final recommendation on the reinstatement of RusAF," Andersen specified.
In October, RusAF has undergone an audit, which is part of the roadmap for the restoration of the organization's membership.
In November 2015, RusAF was temporarily deprived of its membership in World Athletics (then - IAAF) amid a doping scandal. World Athletics has repeatedly extended the suspension of RusAF.
The World Athletics Council also extended the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions due to the situation in Ukraine until further notice, according to World Athletics head Sebastian Coe.
In late February, the International Olympic Committee recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. A number of international sports federations followed this recommendation. World Athletics banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions on March 1.
