According to him, VFLA was in a very difficult situation, which worsened due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Therefore, difficulties arose in the payment of the fine, which was determined by the Council of World Athletics. To date, as far as I know, the fine has not been paid, on behalf of the Ministry of Sports we sent a letter to the President of World Athletics Sebastian Coe, to the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, so that our athletes would not suffer, so that the sanctions imposed on the federation would not imposed on the activities of athletes, ”RIA Novosti quoted Matytsina as saying.
He expressed hope that the message of the Ministry of Sports would be heard, and also noted that the VFLA sent a letter requesting an extension of the fine.
“I hope that the leadership of World Athletics will take this into account, especially since they themselves are in a very difficult economic situation, like the entire world community,” said Matytsin.
Russian athletes have been forced to compete under the neutral flag since December 2016 due to the suspension of VFLA membership in World Athletics. Due to the case of Danil Lysenko, the issuance of neutral statuses was suspended, the number of which was also limited. Now, World Athletics rejected the VFLA’s request to defer the payment of a fine of $ 5 million for anti-doping rule violation. The deadline for payment is July 1. World Athletics intends to issue neutral status to Russian athletes only after paying a fine.
Earlier it was reported that World Athletics will not comment on the situation with the VFLA fine until the evening of July 1.