World Athletics Maintains Ban on Russian Athletes Amid Ukraine Conflict

Tokyo, Sep 12 (AP) – The president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, reaffirmed on Friday the organization's steadfast decision to continue barring Russian athletes from the upcoming world championships and other significant competitions until there is a conclusive peace settlement in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

World Athletics' firm stance is distinct within the Olympic sports community, where many sports have permitted Russians to participate as neutral athletes, both at last year's Paris Olympics and several world championships.

Russian athletes have largely been missing from major international track and field events for nearly a decade. This dates back to sanctions imposed due to a doping scandal and its cover-up during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Shortly after World Athletics lifted that ban in 2022, a new prohibition was introduced following Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine at the time.

“It's quite clear that we desire a full contingent,” Coe stated on the eve of the world championships, when questioned about any potential changes to the policy regarding Russia. “We require a settled position. We need a peaceful agreement before revisiting this situation.”

The world championships are expected to feature approximately 2,000 athletes from 200 nations. They are to be held at Japan's impressive $1.4 billion National Stadium, originally built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. These Olympic Games, delayed by a year due to the pandemic, eventually proceeded in Tokyo, although without the presence of spectators.

At the Tokyo Olympics, World Athletics allowed only 10 slots for Russians to compete as “Authorized Neutral Athletes.” One among them was Maria Lasitskene, who claimed the gold medal in high jump but hasn't participated in a major international event since then.

“No, nothing has changed," reiterated Coe regarding the policy. “I fervently hope it does change — not merely for athletics – because this is an unsustainable situation.”

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