World Athletics is pleased with ARAF’s work to fulfill restoration conditions, Andersen says

The head of the World Athletics Association (World Athletics) task force, Rune Andersen, expressed satisfaction with the work of the All-Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) to fulfill the conditions for the restoration of the organization.

ARAF was stripped of its World Athletics (formerly IAAF) membership in 2015 due to a doping scandal in Russian athletics, Russian athletes were only allowed to compete after being granted neutral status . A task force was created to restore ARAF’s rights under Andersen’s leadership. In March 2023, the World Athletics Council restored ARAF’s status, but extended the suspension of Russian athletes due to the situation in Ukraine.

“First, the independent audit team has confirmed that ARAF meets all the detailed criteria and requirements set out in the recovery plan. Second, ARAF has adopted a detailed set of conditions designed to ensure that it does not There is no stepping back in the progress made since the recovery.

These conditions are in addition to the specific requirements ARAF must meet as a Category A Member Federation under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.

I informed the board that the working group met in person with ARAF President Petr Ivanov and management in Istanbul prior to the board meeting. The Group was satisfied to have understood the importance of these requirements and was committed to respecting them. Additionally, ARAF has reimbursed World Athletics for all of its costs for the recovery process, ensuring that World Athletics will not be left at a loss as a result of ARAF’s actions.

In my opinion, some international federations could learn a lot from the way the working group has approached these problems with firmness and determination in Russia, always remaining true to the principles and never backing down from the difficult decisions that have been made for the defense of clean sport, – Andersen quotes inside games.

Inside the Games