World Athletics will expel Russia from the sport unless it makes an outstanding payment of $6.3 million in fines and costs for anti-doping breaches by August 15.
Rune Andersen, the head of the World Athletics Taskforce dealing with Russia, said he was disappointed that he had seen “very little in terms of changing the culture of Russian athletics” in the past five years.
He said Russia’s sports minister Oleg Matytsin had sent a letter on Thursday promising the overdue amount of $5 million in fines and $1.31 million in costs would be paid by August 15.
If the money is not paid, World Athletics will call a special Congress to be held as soon as possible which has the power to expel the Russian athletics federation (RUSAF) from the sport.
As well as paying the fine, World Athletics has demanded RUSAF set out a detailed plan for its reinstatement, President Sebastian Coe said in a press conference following a two-day virtual meeting of the federation’s Council.
Coe said dealing with Russia had been “tortuous”. He said the letter from the sports minister had been “a start, but only a start”.
Russian athletics has been in crisis since 2015 when its federation was suspended for repeated doping scandals, and its athletes missed the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The world body had frozen the process of allowing clean athletes to compete as neutrals last November but then allowed 10 athletes to be authorised in exchange for the fine being paid.
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