World Athletics Council Bans "All Russian & Belarusian Athletes" From International Sporting Events
Tyler Durden's Photo
BY TYLER DURDEN
TUESDAY, MAR 01, 2022 - 07:25 PM
More and more international sports leagues are banning Russian athletes from competing after the country invaded Ukraine. The latest is the World Athletics Council announced: "all athletes, support personnel and officials from Russia and Belarus will be excluded from all World Athletics Series events."
Upcoming events include the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, and the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22, which begin on Friday in Oman (4 March).
The Council also agreed to consider further measures, including the suspension of the Belarus Federation, at its scheduled Council meeting next week (9-10 March).
The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) has been suspended from World Athletics since 2015, due to doping violations, and therefore is not currently eligible to host World Athletics events or send teams to international championships.
The Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) process remains in place but Russian athletes who have received ANA status for 2022 are excluded from World Athletics Series events for the foreseeable future.
This means that all Russian ANA or Belarusian athletes currently accredited for the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 and the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 (18-20 March) will have their accreditation withdrawn and entries denied, as will any support personnel and officials. - statement via World Athletics Council
World Athletics Council President Sebastian Coe said in a statement, "the world horrified by what Russia has done, aided and abetted by Belarus. World leaders sought to avoid this invasion through diplomatic means but to no avail given Russia's unswerving intention to invade Ukraine. The unprecedented sanctions that are being imposed on Russia and Belarus by countries and industries all over the world appear to be the only peaceful way to disrupt and disable Russia's current intentions and restore peace."
Coe said, "imposing sanctions on athletes because of the actions of their government goes against the grain." However, "this is different as governments, business and other international organizations have imposed sanctions and measures against Russia across all sectors."
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/world-athletics-council-bans-all-russian-belarusian-athletes-international-sporting