6 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
From doping to damaged goods: Russian athletics' long road to reintegration
After almost 10 years in the international wilderness, Russia's track-and-field athletes appear little closer to a return to competing under their country's flag than they were at the height of their doping ban.
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That suspension – imposed on Russia in November 2015 after state-sponsored doping was uncovered – was lifted in 2023, but it has remained ostracised over the invasion of Ukraine. And it was only in March that World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said sanctions would stay in place until a 'peace agreement was reached'.
And yet, there is a sense of optimism internally that the world governing body could be ready to bring Russia out of the international wilderness.
On the sidelines of the Russian Track and Field Championships in Kazan last weekend, the Russian Athletics Federation's chairman, Petr Fradkov, and its new general secretary, Alexander Djordjadze, discussed changing the culture from within, the steps they were taking towards reintegration and the clean bill of health they have received from the global governing body's Athletics Integrity Unit.
Painful history
Convincing the world that Russia can change – has changed – might be Fradkov's biggest task, but he and Djordjadze consider a level of trust to have already been established between their federation and World Athletics.
Petr Fradkov at the Russian Track and Field Championships in Kazan. Photo: Russian Athletics
Fradkov said his organisation was 'quite pragmatic' in its approach and understood that for athletes to return to international competition, little steps and a gradual approach were probably necessary.
