Russia 'regrets' IAAF doping ban vote

The head of the Russian Olympic Committee on Monday insisted his country had fulfilled conditions set by the IAAF after the federation voted to maintain its track and field doping ban.

The International Association of Athletics Federations voted at the weekend for the 11th time to uphold a ban first introduced in November 2015 after evidence of mass state-sponsored doping appeared.

Russia's participation at this year's Doha world championships remains on tenterhooks.

"The decision of the IAAF raises regrets," local Olympic committee head said Stanislav Pozdnyakov told the state TASS news agency.

"Even though the Russian side has absolutely fulfilled its obligations... the position of the International Federation has changed."

The latest report by the IAAF's Task Force, charged with investigating the scandal, noted some positive developments from the Russian side.

 

Those included the repayment of the 2.8 million euros ($3.2 million) it has cost the Task Force to do its work as well as access granted to the Moscow laboratory at the heart of the doping scandal between 2011-15.

But the Task Force also noted reports that Russian coaches who had been suspended for doping were continuing to train athletes.

Also worrying was a Sunday Times story on June 2 alleging that Russian athletics federation (RUSAF) officials fabricated documents to show that Danil Lysenko, the 2017 world silver high jump medallist, was too ill to provide his whereabouts after failing to make himself available for out-of-competition drug testing.

The last global event Russia appeared in was the 2015 Beijing world championships, but dozens of Russian athletes cleared by the IAAF have gone on to compete as neutrals.

The next chance Russia has of seeing the ban overturned will be at a IAAF Council meeting in Doha just days before the September 27-October 6 world championships in the Qatari capital, leaving a hypothetical window open for its reintegration almost four years on from the initial ban.