Deputy PM Mutko pledges to reinstate Russia’s membership with IAAF in nearest future

MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. Russia will resort to all means to reinstate as soon as possible the currently suspended membership of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) with the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko told TASS on Thursday. The IAAF Congress voted on August 3 in London in favor of extending the suspension term for the ARAF. The voting was held in the wake of a report delivered by Independent chairperson of IAAF Taskforce Rune Andersen, who recommended the participants of the IAAF Council in London to keep in force the suspension of the Russian track and field body. "We have drawn conclusions regarding everything that was discussed at the IAAF Congress," Mutko said in an interview with TASS. "The federation (ARAF) keeps working and we will be doing everything to make sure that its membership is reinstated as soon as possible." A total of 166 people at the IAAF Congress voted in favor of extending the suspension term for the ARAF, while only 21 voted against. The IAAF Taskforce came up with six criteria, which the Russian governing athletics body needed to implement in order to restore its global membership. Mutko also praised all Russian track and field athletes, who were granted access for the 2017 IAAF World Championships earlier this month in London, saying that they "performed decently" at the international tournament. Nineteen Russian track and field athletes have been cleared to take part in the 2017 IAAF World Championships, which was held in London between August 4 and 13. However, they were allowed to compete as neutral athletes as the ARAF’s membership in the IAAF is suspended. Russian track-and-field athletes were banned from wearing gear of the national team or wear any apparel symbolizing the Russian flag at competitions. The same rules applied to the escorting staff of the Russian national team in London. "It was indeed very hard for them to perform at such level following their long absence and the lack of the competitive atmosphere," Mutko said. "The team performed decently and what it needs now is to finish the season calmly." Athletes from Russia competing in the ANA (Authorized Neutral Athlete) capacity at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London won a total of six medals, namely one gold and five silver. The gold was brought in women’s high jump by Maria Lasitskene. Five Russian athletes clinching silver medals at the 2017 IAAF World Championships are Sergey Shubenkov (men’s 110 meters hurdles), Daria Klishina (women’s long jump), Valery Pronkin (men’s hammer throw), Sergey Shirobokov (men’s 20 kilometers race walk) and Danil Lysenko (men’s high jump). The top-three nations in the overall medals standings at the 2017 IAAF World Championships are: the United States (10 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze); Kenya (five gold, two silver and four bronze) and South Africa (three gold, one silver and two bronze). In 2015, the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) Independent Commission carried out an investigation into the activities of the ARAF, the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and the Russian sports ministry. The commission accused certain athletes and sports officials of doping abuse and involvement in other activities related to violations of international regulations on performance enhancing substances. The work of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory and RUSADA was eventually suspended. The IAAF in turn decided to suspend ARAF’s membership in the global governing body of athletics and put forward a host of criteria, which the Russian ruling body of track and field sports was obliged to implement in order to restore its membership in the global federation. Read more