World Athletics announced it had suspended the reinstatement process of Russian athletics and was contemplating expelling the country entirely from the sport due to doping affairs.
The news comes a day after the president of the Russian athletics federation (RUSAF), Dmitry Shlyakhtin, and other senior officials were suspended for "serious breaches" of anti-doping rules, putting the nation's track and field athletes' participation at next year's Tokyo Olympics in further danger.
The head of World Athletics Sebastian Coe described those banned as 'renegade factions'.
"The people we were dealing with have all been suspended," said Coe, explaining why the process of potential reintegration had been suspended.
The global governing body of athletics, formerly known as the IAAF, originally banned Russia in November 2015 after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of widespread doping in Russian sport.
Thursday's ruling by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) that accused RUSAF of obstructing an investigation into high-jumper Danil Lysenko, deepened the crisis.
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After the first day of its council meeting in Monaco, the global governing body said it was awaiting a decision by WADA on December 9, but was considering expelling RUSAF and was also suspending the provision that allows Russians to compete as neutral athletes.
Last year Lysenko had the status removed by the then IAAF after he failed to provide information regarding his whereabout which he is required to give as part of the anti-doping procedure.
- Forged documents -
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- Positive tests -
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