Russia doping crisis Q&A: What are the chances of them missing the Rio Olympic Games?
The IAAF will meet on Friday night to decide what sanctions to take against Russia in the wake of the damning report by the World Anti-Doping Agency independent commission
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Q. What is the IAAF council?
A. The council effectively administers the affairs of the IAAF and has the power to provisionally elect or suspend a member federation. It delivers a report and budget to Congress (the IAAF’s entire membership) every two years, the next one being scheduled for 2017. There are 27 elected members in total, headed by president Sebastian Coe and consisting of former athletes like Sergey Bubka and Frankie Fredericks.
Q. What are they meeting to decide?
A. Quite simply, what sanctions to take against Russia in the wake of the damning report by the World Anti-Doping Agency independent commission at the start of the week.
Q. Where are they meeting?
A. The council meeting had been planned to take place in Monaco, where the IAAF is based, to coincide with the IAAF end-of-season gala in two weeks’ time. But the gala was scrapped – deemed inappropriate by Coe with athletics fighting for its reputation – and the council meeting rescheduled for Friday night instead, taking place via a conference call, which Coe is expected to host from London.
Q. What format does the meeting take?
A. After Coe’s opening address, the Russian member on the council, Mikhail Butov, will be given the floor to state Russia’s case in the light of the revelations in Monday’s 323-page report. After he makes his argument for why Russia should not be banned, Butov will leave the conference call and the remaining 26 members will vote on whether to take sanctions and what those sanctions should be.
Q. So will Russia be banned from competing at athletics events internationally?
A. Most likely, yes. A majority verdict will decide the country’s fate and the inference is that Russian athletes will at least be provisionally suspended from competing at international level. The first event they would miss would be next month’s European Cross Country Championships in France, with the possibility of them also being absentees from the World Indoor Championships in Portland in the United States in March. Only four nations have previously been banned by the IAAF: South Africa, Afghanistan, Algeria and Gabon.
Q. Can they be banned from competing at the Olympics?
A. At this stage, it is highly unlikely. The more probable outcome is that the sanction is a provisional one, with no time limit set, thereby giving Russia the opportunity to get its house in order in time for the Rio Games in August.
Q. Could Russia get off scot-free?
A. It’s possible but, with the spotlight on the IAAF, that seems more improbable. Coe and his fellow council members, bar of course Butov, will not want to put the IAAF through any more adverse publicity.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments