Not sure Russian doping issue can be resolved: World Athletics chief

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe on Friday said he wants suspended Russia to return as an “accountable and responsible” member federation but he is not sure of resolving the country’s doping-related issue in the near future. “It’s not a good thing to have a country like Russia sitting outside our sport. I want Russia to be back as a fully functioning member federation with accountability and responsibility that every other member federation accepts,” Coe said.

Russia was suspended in 2015 after a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of mass doping among track and field athletes. The Russian federation paid a multi-million-dollar fine in August to avoid expulsion by World Athletics. The WA in September granted Russia a six-month extension to finalise its reinstatement plan before it decides on potential fresh sanctions or even expulsion. “The re-instatement roadmap is going to be with us datelined beginning March. Hoping it might be a little bit earlier. It then allows us to look at the status of authorised neutral athletes", he said.

“But there is another  of complexities in that because the WADA is still waiting the outcome of an appeal by Russian athletes to the Court of Arbitration of Sports.” Asked how difficult was dope testing of the athletes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Coe said, we are continuing testing of athletes.though it is challenging. There are travel restrictions... logistic challenges getting to the athletes. The nature of testing has changed, now it is intelligence-led, it is incremental and sequential.