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≡ RUSSIA STILL BANNED ≡
“The Council reaffirmed the decision it made in March 2022, revisited in 2023 and 2025 and discussed again in March 2026 to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, officials and supporting personnel from international competition.”
That’s the short summary of the outcome of the latest World Athletics Council’s review of deliberations on the question of Russian and Belarusian participation in athletics, which has been essentially banned since the 2016 explosion of the state-sponsored doping scandal in place from 2011-15.
Doping and the war against Ukraine have been the drivers of the World Athletics ban, even as seven other International Federations have reinstated Russian and Belarusian athletes and more have allowed competition on a “neutral” basis. The last doping-related ban by World Athletics was lifted in March 2025.
The World Athletics Council, meeting online, decided to maintain its outright ban. Per the announcement:
“In its deliberations, the Council was cognisant of the wider impact of the conflict on Ukraine athletics, for example, the ability to hold domestic competitions regularly, impacting on their ability to achieve qualification standards and/or earn ranking points, the numbers of Ukrainian athletes who are able to compete, and the severely compromised athletics infrastructure within Ukraine, coaches and support personnel.
“The dedicated fund that World Athletics established in 2022 to support Ukraine is helping ameliorate some of that impact, but there is no doubt the ability of Ukraine and its athletes to train and compete remains severely compromised.”
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) explained further:
“The Council and the Working Group on the status of Russians/Belarusians in International Competitions & Events have been consequential and methodical in reviewing the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus and in identifying a conditional pathway back into international competition.
“We presented options for the Council to consider on this matter, however, the original decision remains on the sanctions that protect the integrity and fairness of our competitions, with no tangible movement towards peace negotiations having materialised.”
The Russian Athletics Federation was, of course, unhappy; its statement included:
“Russian Athletics is disappointed by yet another discriminatory decision by the World Athletics Council to bar Russian athletes from participating in competitions held under the auspices of World Athletics.
“It is clear that this decision runs counter to Olympic principles and to current trends in global sport.
“Of particular concern is the fact that an entire generation of young athletes has no opportunity to compete at a high international level. This deprives them of an important stage in their careers and reduces their chances of further progress. This applies, above all, to youth and junior athletes who consistently deliver strong results, feature in the top European and world rankings, and are rightly regarded as medal contenders at the European Championships, World Championships and Youth Olympic Games.
“Our main objective is the return of Russian athletes to the international arena. Russian Athletics is firmly committed to using all available mechanisms to achieve this goal.”
An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport may be the next step for the Russian federation.
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