By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from international track and field competition by World Athletics since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and Sebastian Coe, the President of World Athletics, is reported as stating that nothing has changed, despite the fact that the Russian Athletics Federation has filed a new claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) challenging this ban.
Coe added that:
“This isn't about politics or passports; it's about the integrity of competition."
And he will personally attend the CAS hearing to present the World Athletics position.
However, Russian Athletics argues that the sanctions "infringe on the organisation's rights …. [and] …. prevent it from fully representing the interests of Russian athletes on an international level".
If CAS rules in favour of Russian Athletics, Russian and Belarusian athletes could be able to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
It should be mentioned that the International Olympic Committee has lifted the ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes competing in the Olympic Games, and other international sports governing bodies, including World Gymnastics, World Aquatics and World Boxing, have also lifted the ban on these athletes competing in their own sports competitions.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘