Russia's track and field ban extended by IAAF
By The Associated Press
Last Updated: 09/06/19 1:57pm
Russia's ban from international track and field has been extended over concerns it is failing to fully comply with doping reforms.
The IAAF refused to lift the ban at a council meeting this weekend although Russia had made a long-awaited payment of £2.5m ($3.2m) to cover costs of monitoring its compliance with anti-doping rules.
The head of the IAAF's Russia task force, Rune Andersen, says he is concerned that banned coaches are allegedly still working with athletes, and wants to wait for an investigation into whether Russian officials supplied fake medical documents to give an athlete an alibi in a doping case.
Andersen says progress on payments and re-testing old doping samples "is being undermined by apparent backsliding".
Meanwhile, the IAAF has announced plans to change its name to World Athletics.
The new name and logo will be introduced in October after one last edition of the world championships under the IAAF banner.
The IAAF has kept the same initials since it was founded in 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation, but changed that to International Association of Athletics Federations in 2001 as track and field became more professionalised.
IAAF president Sebastian Coe says the rebranding is part of a plan to attract a younger audience.
"The hope is that our new brand will help attract and engage a new generation of young people to athletics," said Coe.
"We have now created a brand that can come to life in the digital world while reflecting the changing nature of the sport. And at the same time bring into focus the athletes, the heroes of our sport."
