IAAF Says To Check RusAF Progress On Reinstatement Criteria After RUSADA Status Restored

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said that its task force will look into the Russian Athletics Federation's (RusAF) progress in meeting two remaining reinstatement criteria after the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) backed the restoration of the status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

On Thursday, WADA President Craig Reedie said most members of the WADA Executive Committee voted for the reinstatement of RUSADA.

"The progress against the reinstatement criteria has been overseen by the Independent Taskforce, chaired by Rune Andersen and including members of the IAAF Council. Andersen and his taskforce will review the decision made by WADA and the conditions set by WADA over the next few weeks and check RusAF progress on other criteria still outstanding," the IAAF said in a press release on Thursday.

The IAAF noted that the reinstatement of RUSADA was one of three preconditions for the RusAF reinstatement that were agreed upon during the IAAF Council meeting in July.

Other two pre-conditions include the Russian authorities acknowledging the findings of the WADA and International Olympic Committee (IOC) commissions, implying that Russian officials had been involved in a scheme to cover up doping rules violations in Russian sports; and providing access to the testing samples of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, taken between 2011 and 2015.

After looking into the progress of RusAF in reaching the reinstatement criteria, the IAAF task force will create its report and submit it to the IAAF Council in early December, after which the council will hold discussions on this issue and make decisions on any further action in relation to RusAF, according to the press release.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe said in the statement that the organization would continue "to rely on the task force and our clear roadmap for RusAF reinstatement until we are satisfied that the conditions have been met."

RusAF was suspended from the IAAF in November 2015 over the allegations of violating the anti-doping rules in Russian sport.

Russia has repeatedly refuted the accusations of running the doping program but acknowledged that the country's athletics has some problems with doping that are being tackled.