LONDON (AP) — IAAF leaders are set to suspend the Russian federation on Friday, keeping the country’s track and field athletes out of international competition for an indefinite period that could include next year’s Olympics in Brazil.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe convened an emergency meeting of his 27-member council via teleconference on Friday evening to vote on a provisional suspension of Russia following the damning allegations of systematic, state-sponsored doping contained in a report by a World Anti-Doping Agency commission.
Under heavy pressure to take tough action, Coe was expected to secure approval from the council for the maximum sanction, despite efforts by Russian officials to avoid a blanket ban by agreeing to cooperate and make reforms in their anti-doping system. An IAAF statement listed the main agenda item of the meeting: “Decision to provisionally suspend the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF) as an IAAF member.”
A suspension would take effect immediately, barring Russian athletes from all international track and field events until the country can prove it has put its house in order. It would be the first time the International Association of Athletics Federations has ever banned a country over its doping record.
The Russian federation is likely to be given a month or so before appearing at a disciplinary hearing, where the IAAF could then elevate the sanction to a full suspension.
The IAAF and WADA would need to set out the terms for what the Russians need to do to get a suspension lifted, including complying fully with the global anti-doping code.
With the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro nine months away, the big question is whether Russia’s track team will be allowed to compete in the games. Some Olympic officials have said Russia should have enough time to take the necessary steps to make it to the Olympics, which run from Aug. 5-21.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Friday he is “completely sure” that Russia will be able to compete at the Olympics. Speaking before the IAAF meeting, he said he thought any suspension would be short.
“We may miss one or two competitions, but for athletes with clean consciences to miss the Olympics or a world championships would be real stupidity,” he said in Moscow.
In the short term, a suspension would keep Russians out of a dozen or so international events the rest of this year, including the European cross-country championships in France on Dec. 13. The athletes could then miss the indoor season, including the world indoor championships in Portland, Oregon, from March 17-20.
Other big events that Russian runners could be ineligible for include the Boston and London Marathons in April.
Russia also faces being stripped of the hosting rights of three IAAF events — the Moscow indoor meet on Feb. 14, the world race walking championships in Cheboksary from May 7-15, and the world junior championships in Kazan from July 19-24. Russia has been the dominant force in world race walking.
Russian athletes would be eligible to compete in their own national events during a ban, which only covers international competition.
Some officials, including IAAF vice president Sergei Bubka, the pole vault great from Ukraine, have argued against a blanket ban, saying it would penalize “innocent” athletes who haven’t been found guilty or implicated in doping.
However, the report by the WADA panel outlined a deep-rooted, systematic doping system that cast doubt on the entire Russian athletics program, making it difficult to judge which athletes are clean or not.
The IAAF council was meeting by teleconference, chaired by Coe in London.
Russia’s IAAF council member, Mikhail Butov, was to present his federation’s position at the start of the meeting, but then recuse himself from the debate and the vote.
A simple majority was required for the suspension resolution to pass. Coe would cast a vote only in the case of a tie.
Russia’s initial reaction to Monday’s doping report was one of indignation and that the allegations were politically-motivated. However, in recent days, the tone shifted as President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the gravity of the problem and ordered an investigation by Russian sports leaders.
“We’re prepared for broad cooperation,” Mutko told R-Sport news agency on Friday.
Mutko said he has asked WADA president Craig Reedie to provide a “road map” that Russia could follow.
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AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth in Moscow contributed to this report.
