Russian track and field athletes call for lifting World Athletics ban
Track and field athletes from Russia have appealed to international sports and human rights bodies to help lift the World Athletics ban on Russian athletes competing in international events. In an open letter dated September 10, they said that more than four years of suspension had deprived a generation of athletes of sporting careers, The Moscow Times reports.
The letter was addressed to the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission, the IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The authors of the appeal described the consequences of the prolonged ban as devastating for athletes and stressed that four years can be the most important period in a track and field athlete’s career.
The ban and appeals
On July 3, the World Athletics Council confirmed its decision not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international events. The sanctions were imposed after Russia, the aggressor state, invaded Ukraine in 2022.
On July 9, the Russian Athletics Federation filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the decision, and submitted another one last month. The athletes also said that on July 17 they separately asked the court to allow them to participate in the appeal proceedings, but have not yet received a response.
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World Athletics’ position
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said ahead of the arbitration hearing that the organization’s position had not changed. At the Ultimate Championship in Budapest, he told journalists that the decision was related to the integrity of competitions, rather than politics or passports.
Coe also noted that the organization seeks full global participation of athletes in competitions. At the same time, the letter’s authors described the federation’s position as collective punishment and pointed out that many other international sports federations have gradually allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under neutral status.
The letter also mentioned that on July 8, the IOC temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. Russian track and field athletes stressed that legal and institutional procedures can take years, while a sporting career cannot wait.
