The World Athletics Association's refusal to grant neutral status to Russian athletes is disappointing and is going to have a negative effect on sportsmen, Evgeny Yurchenko, the head of the Russian Athletic Federation (RusAF), said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) The World Athletics Association's refusal to grant neutral status to Russian athletes is disappointing and is going to have a negative effect on sportsmen, Evgeny Yurchenko, the head of the Russian Athletic Federation (RusAF), said on Friday.
On Tuesday, World Athletics said that RusAF had not paid the fine imposed for alleged systemic doping in sports before the July 1 deadline and postponed considering issuance of neutral status to Russian athletes until the council meeting scheduled for late July.
"The decisions announced in yesterday's statement by World Athletics deeply disappointed me. Failure to issue a neutral status is a severe blow to athletes," Yurchenko said.
The RusAF head also said that the federation was not able to pay $5 million fine amid the difficult economic situation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
