IAAF Taskforce : interim report to IAAF Council, 17 June 2016 / Rune Andersen. - International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). - Monaco : IAAF, 2016
The IAAF Council suspended RusAF from membership in November 2015, after a WADA Independent Commission concluded there was a systemic and deeply-rooted culture of doping in Russian athletics. The Council decided that, in order to be reinstated to membership, RusAF must satisfy a number of specified 'Verification Criteria', and must demonstrate that the following Reinstatement Conditions "have been met, and can reasonably be expected to continue to be met moving forward":
1st, that RUSAF complies in full with the World Anti-Doping Code and IAAF Anti-Doping Rules;
2nd, that the IAAF and RUSADA (the Russian NADO) are able to conduct their anti-doping programmes in Russia (in particular, drug-testing) effectively and without interference; and
3rd, that as a result, the reintegration of Russian athletes into international competitions will not jeopardise the integrity of those competitions.
In short, RusAF must show that there is now a culture of zero tolerance towards doping in Russian athletics, and that RusAF, RUSADA, and the public authorities in Russia, working in cooperation, have created an anti-doping infrastructure that is effective in detecting and deterring cheats, and therefore provides reasonable assurance and protection to clean athletes both inside and outside of Russia.
The Taskforce unanimously recommends that the Council (1) amend Competition Rule 22.1(a) with immediate effect, to permit exemptions where an athlete has made a truly exceptional contribution to the fight against doping in sport; and (2) refer Yuliya Stepanova's application to an appropriate panel as soon as possible, with a recommendation that it consider that application favourably.
