Russian Federation provisionally banned over athletics doping scandal

The Council voted 22-1 in favour of suspending ARAF, and under the sanction Russian athletes will not be allowed to compete at the Olympic Games or in World Athletic Series competitions.

The decision came after the IAAF held an emergency teleconference, hosted by president Sebastian Coe, to discuss the report released on Monday by the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which recommended the punishment.

The ban takes effect just days after a World Anti-Doping Agency-commissioned report detailed evidence of systemic, state-sponsored doping among Russian athletes.

Russian Mikhail Butov, an IAAF council member and secretary general of the Russian Athletics Federation will “present the ARAF position” before being “excluded from the remainder of the debate and voting”, the IAAF said in a statement.

Coe described it as a “shameful wake-up call – the architecture of anti doping has failed athletes worldwide”.

Russia’s track and field federation was suspended from worldwide competition on Friday, leaving it in danger of missing next year’s Olympics in Brazil unless the country cleans up its act on doping.

Among the myriad allegations in the report, investigators said athletes were often given notice of out-of-competition tests, used false identities and frequently bribed doping control officers to get around other tests.

Also, Russian state-owned bank VTB said Thursday it would not extend its sponsorship contract with the IAAF, which expires this year, but denied it was because of the fallout from the doping report. “We’re prepared for broad cooperation”, Mutko told R-Sport news agency on Friday.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko told the Associated Press on Friday that he is “completely sure” Russia will be reinstated in time for Rio.

“The IAAF has an obligation to protect athletes, and this action sends a clear message to clean athletes that protecting them and protecting the sport, with a culture of accountability, is our top priority”, said Stephanie Hightower, the president of USA Track and Field.

To regain membership, Russian Federation would have to fulfil a list of criteria that has not been disclosed. Mutko unveiled concessions he said would be on the table, including sacking the leaders of the national athletics body, creating a new Russian anti-doping agency, and possibly bringing criminal charges against people involved in doping.

She said denying Russian athletes the chance to compete would be “unjust and unfair”.

ARD further alleged that a third of medals (146, including 55 golds) in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships between 2001 and 2012 were won by athletes who have recorded suspicious tests but none of these athletes have been stripped of their medals.

The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed WADA’s allegations as “groundless” but 24 hours later a high-ranking sports official conceded that doping was an issue.

Since 6pm this evening, Coe was locked in a lawyer’s office in London on a conference call with the 27 members of the IAAF council.

But the former Olympic champion sounded a combative note after the decision of the council. The scandal has also tarnished Coe’s predecessor at IAAF, Lamine Diack, who is under formal investigation in France on suspicion of corruption and money laundering.