DOHA, September 25. /TASS/. The Congress of the International Association of Atheltics Federations (IAAF) has endorsed the decision made by the IAAF Council to prolong the suspension of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF). The decision was made at the Congress’s session in Doha on Wednesday.
The IAAF Council on September 23 ruled to prolong the ARAF’s suspension, thus prohibiting Russian athletes from performing under the national flag at the world championships kicking off in Doha on Friday. Also, Russians will be unable to take seats on the IAAF bodies.
The ARAF’s membership of the IAAF was withdrawn in November 2015 on the basis of an investigation conducted by a commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) under Richard Pound. The IAAF has repeatedly prolonged the ARAF’s suspension since. In 2016, Russian athletes were allowed to participate in international competitions in the neutral status. They have to file individual applications for participation at the IAAF.
The World Athletics Championships will be held in Qatar on September 27 - October 6. Thirty Russian athletes having the neutral status applied for participation.
