Olympic long jump champion Tatiana Lebedeva suggested that even with the restoration of the VFLA in the rights of Russian athletes in the near future, they will not be able to participate in international departures.
Earlier, World Athletics task force chief Rune Andersen said the final decision on ARAF’s restoration would be taken in 2023.
“I would be happy if that happened. Will it happen? I have no idea. All these games – I don’t care anymore. If that happens, I will be very happy. But now there is a common position – not to let all our athletes enter the international stage. Here, even if they restore it, our guys still will not be able to play now.
Of course, they look at the roadmap. If they see that we meet all the criteria, then everything is fine. But I won’t be surprised if they pull out other “trumps” and start in the second round. Only when everything really happens, then it will be possible to say something,” Lebedeva told .
ARAF has been banned from World Athletics since 2015 due to a huge doping scandal. From then on, Russian athletes could participate in international competitions only after obtaining neutral status.
On March 1, 2022, World Athletics banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions.
Source : MatchTV
