Dhe World Athletics Federation, World Athletics (WA), has big plans and more worries. Not all have to do with Russian dopers. The Covid 19 pandemic prevents practically all international sports competitions. WA President Sebastian Coe fears that the lack of presence could harm her if things go on like this in the coming year; therefore he wants to develop a plan for strengthening regional events.
He also feared, he said after the two-day video session of the WA Council on Thursday evening, that the confrontations in international politics could have consequences for sport. For a long time, he hadn’t heard any politicians talk about boycotting sporting events, Coe said. But the conflicts between state leaders would have an impact on sport. He’ll have to deal with that.
Another plan for athletes is to bring cross-country skiing back to the program of the Olympic Games. With a mixed relay, this should not happen at the Winter Games, but at the Summer Games in Paris 2024 – all in all a nice idea, since the last Olympic cross-country race took place there at the 1924 Olympics. According to World Athletics, the four members of the cross relay should run two 2.5 kilometers each. For that they could sacrifice the mixed 4 × 400 meter relay.
“Praying in All Churches”
The Russian patient remains with the athletes and is therefore a major concern. Shortly before the Council was able to implement its plan on Thursday to exclude the Russian Federation (Rusaf), which had been suspended for systematic doping since November 2015 (which the General Assembly should have approved at a special meeting), the Russian state managed to save its life. “The sports minister gave oxygen to Russian athletics,” said Juri Ganus, who heads the Russian anti-doping agency and often complains about the persistence of powerful networks.
He said Oleg Matyzin’s unconditional promise to transfer the $ 5 million overdue fine for the recent fraud, plus $ 1.3 million in procedural costs, for more than a month before August 15. Matyzin promised to get involved in the renewal of the association. “It will be prayed in all churches that he will be able to keep his promise,” commented the sports policy website “Inside The Games”.
World Athletics has nevertheless decided to exclude them; the decision is suspended on condition that the Russians meet three conditions. The money, incidentally only half of the penalty for fraudulent medical certificates in the case of high jumper Danil Lyssenko, must be received. At the end of August at the latest, the Russians have to present a plan for the renewal of their association. By the end of September, they have to accept criticism and amendments from the working group on the resumption of the Russians and finally achieve “satisfactory progress” in the implementation of the plan, including by involving two independent experts named by the World Association.
In October at the earliest, World Athletics wants to recognize so-called neutral athletes from Russia and allow them international starts. Their number is limited to ten. The world association will not decide on the possibility of participating in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 – only one athlete from Russia was admitted in Rio 2016 – until the end of the year, depending on the implementation of the Russian plans.
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