On July 3, the council reaffirmed its decision to maintain the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes, continuing the sanctions initially imposed four years ago due to the invasion of Ukraine.
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This decision, confirmed on July 3, ensures that Russian and Belarusian athletes remain excluded, a continuation of the sanctions established four years prior following the Ukraine invasion.
In their statement, the Russian Athletics Federation labeled the ruling as discriminatory and has since retained legal experts to challenge it at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The World Athletics Council’s decision keeps Russian track and field athletes out of international competitions, despite the recent provisionary lifting of the suspension on the Russian Olympic Committee by the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday, which marks a significant move toward Russia’s return to the Olympic community.
Russian athletes participated as neutrals in the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
