World Athletics declared Wednesday that it would not readmit athletes from Russia and Belarus to its events, despite an accordant suggestion from the International Olympic Committee.
“There is no change to World Athletics’ position, as outlined after our Council meeting last week. As the IOC said yesterday, it is the responsibility of the respective international federations to decide on this,” read the statement.
World Athletics had decided last week to lift the years-long suspension of the Russian federation RUSAF in connection with doping practices, but at the same time to continue the ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The initial ban followed last year’s recommendation by the IOC. However, the committee on Tuesday proposed to allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus back to international events as neutral athletes under strict eligibility conditions.
The IOC said that a decision on the possible participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at next year’s Paris Olympics would be reached later.
Europe’s athletics body EA has also decided to extend the ban, a stance supported by the German federation DLV.
“Even after the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at international sporting events, we are sticking to our previous position,” DLV chairperson Idriss Gonschinska said.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines that allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions as neutrals contain “elements of discrimination.”
Athletes from Russia and Belarus, Moscow’s ally, were banned from most international competitions last year over the Ukraine war. Still, guidelines issued by the Lausanne-based IOC on Tuesday seek to allow for their gradual return to world sport.
However, the guidelines have infuriated Russian authorities, who say any move to deprive athletes of their national symbols is discriminatory.
“Such recommendations were characterized as discrimination, which is unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
“We will continue to defend the interests of our athletes in every possible way,” Peskov added.
On Tuesday, IOC President Thomas Bach said it would be up to international sports federations to decide which athletes from Russia and Belarus can compete as neutrals without their national flag or country’s anthem.
According to the guidelines, athletes from Russia and Belarus cannot participate in team events. In addition, they must have a proven drug testing record, while athletes who support the war or are contracted to their countries’ military or national security agencies are excluded.
The recommendations made by the IOC executive board concern the return of athletes to international competitions but not precisely the 2024 Paris Olympics, for which a separate decision will be taken later.
Ukraine and some of its allies have already threatened to boycott the Paris Games should they compete, even as neutrals.
