Russian athletes will "remain unable to compete under their own flag" after the IAAF extended the country's ban into a fourth year on Tuesday, according to Ben Bloom of the London TELEGRAPH. The Russian Athletics Federation (RUSAF) was initially suspended in Nov. '15 when a WADA report "revealed widespread doping in the country." WADA "controversially decided to reinstate" the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) this September on the condition that Russia recognize the findings of that report and allow access to its stored urine samples from the Moscow laboratory before a Dec. 31 deadline. With those two conditions yet to be fully met, the IAAF "held firm" on its ban and voted to extend it for a ninth time. The IAAF is also "seeking compensation" for its own costs involved in investigating Russian doping over the past few years. IAAF Taskforce Chair Rune Andersen said, "The IAAF Council accepted the taskforce's recommendations not to reinstate RUSAF until the following two conditions have been met in full" (TELEGRAPH, 12/4). REUTERS' Gene Cherry reported Russia's reinstatement was "rejected on numerous occasions" by the IAAF over the past three years and should it fail to meet conditions in the coming months, "it could risk missing out again" on sending a team to next September’s World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. The European indoor championships are "even earlier," in Glasgow in March, and take place before the next IAAF Council meeting has a chance to meet to discuss further developments later that month. Andersen said, "If the Russians can and will release the (drug) samples is up to them. I hope they will deliver the data by the end of this year. We have received no assurances that it will be delivered to us directly. The assurances have been given to WADA and WADA has set a deadline of Dec. 31. We will have to rely on receiving the data from WADA." The costs of running the taskforce and dealing with legal appeals by Russia about the suspension are "expected to amount to several million dollars." RUSAF President Dmitry Shlyakhtin said, "I am not surprised, but we had hopes because the federation has done lots of work" (REUTERS, 12/4).
