“Positive and Inspiring Decision”: World Athletics Grants ARAF a grace period

"There was a small breakthrough."

ARAF may be excluded from the membership of the World Athletics Association, if it does not close its debt of $ 6.31 million before August 15 ($ 5 million imposed in March in a fine and $ 1.31 million for other expenses). This decision was made at a meeting of the World Athletics Council, which was held in the format of video conferencing. 

The association reported that on Thursday morning, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin sent a letter to World Athletics. In it, Matytsin promised that the required amount would be paid on time. 

Also, the commission for the restoration of ARAF membership in WA will have to submit a draft plan to restore the "proper scope and depth of study" by August 31st. Any changes that the World Athletics Association working group may require must be made to the plan by September 30, inclusive. 

Until these two conditions are met, Russian athletes will not be able to obtain neutral status to participate in major international competitions.

But even after meeting these requirements, according to the decision of the Council of the World Athletics Association on March 12, no more than ten domestic athletes will be able to compete in major official tournaments (in 2020, such competitions include only the World Half Marathon Championship in Gdynia). This condition will not be revised until December at the earliest, taking into account the progress made by ARAF by that time.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe noted at a press conference after the meeting that in the process of restoring the All-Russian Athletics Federation, "a small breakthrough was made."   

“This is only the beginning, but what happened allows us to admit that the sanctions applied in March were generally recognized. Now we can continue the recovery process. There is a clear understanding that (the Russian side - RT ) realized the seriousness and severity of the situation, "the functionary emphasized. 

"I sent a letter to World Athletics, this is already a guarantee"

In turn, Matytsin, in a conversation with journalists, noted that sending a letter on his behalf is already a guarantee of the payment of a fine. However, he did not disclose the source of funds. 

“I think the decision is constructive today. We see WA's desire to interact with the Russian side. Together we have a very difficult job to create conditions for the renewal of ARAF membership. But I believe that today we have reached agreements that allow us to hope for a constructive stage, ”the minister said.

Matytsin emphasized that the Ministry of Sports is ready to support ARAF and is actively cooperating with the Russian Olympic Committee. According to him, the federation should hold a conference in the near future and "seriously think about the management system."

Finally, the minister expressed the hope that the limit on Russian athletes who can take part in major international competitions will be canceled by the end of 2020.

“Starting next year, all athletes must compete in all competitions, including the Olympic Games. Hope we were heard. The roadmap will be implemented jointly with World Athletics, and as a result the Russian side will come to a complete restoration of the ARAF, ”concluded Matytsin.

Acting President of the All-Russian Athletics Federation Alexei Plotnikov, in turn, promised to hold the second meeting of the restoration commission on August 7. He assured that all the recommendations that were voiced during the meeting of the Council of the World Athletics Association will be discussed at it.  

“I would like to thank the WA council, these decisions allowed us to get a delay on a set of issues - the payment of a fine, the development of a recovery plan, and most importantly, our athletes have the hope of performing at international competitions. For us, this is a very positive and inspiring decision, ”the ARAF official website quotes Plotnikov. 

The head of the ROC Stanislav Pozdnyakov and the Director General of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) Yuri Ganus also reacted positively to the results of the council. Both noted the huge role of the Ministry of Sports in resolving the situation. 

“Everything was decided by Matytsin's letter. He took a serious step, and I salute him. The Minister of Sports opened oxygen to Russian athletics. If this letter had not been, I am convinced that the World Athletics Council would have made a categorical decision, - quotes the words of Ganus TASS.

"They want to pay us in full"

But the experts reacted to the verdict of the World Association Council not so unambiguously. For example, the former head of ARAF Mikhail Balakhnichev was surprised that World Athletics ordered the Russian side to pay only $ 6.31 million, and not a large amount. However, in his opinion, the federation in this situation can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“Dear members of the World Athletics Council, explain why the amount is indicated in exactly five million, and not in three, four and so on. Where are the precedents? What were your calculations based on? Second, you need to look at the adequacy of organizations' incomes and their financial capabilities. It is clear that the bankrupt federation cannot pay such an amount. And this decision to pay five million was deliberately doomed to failure, which they probably expected. These exaggerated demands indicate that they want to pay us in full, ”Balakhnichev suggested.

In turn, the former member of the board of the international association Mikhail Butov called the WA verdict "tough".

“The situation has not changed much yet, it will change if the money is paid. So far, the decision should be recognized as quite tough. Moreover, the payment of a fine is not the only condition. All of them were registered back in March, and if we agreed with them, we need to start a dialogue, "Butov said.

But Evgeny Yurchenko, who voluntarily resigned from the post of head of the ARAF in mid-July, spoke in a more optimistic manner.

“I am very pleased with the decision taken by the World Athletics Council, and I am glad that funding sources were found to pay the fine, I am glad that many months of work on solving problems has led to the appearance of good news,” the functionary summed up.

$ 10 fine for doping scandal and resignation of the head of ARAF

A fine of $ 10 million for the federation was imposed after the scandal with the doping tests of the high jumper Danil Lysenko, in which, as reported, the former leadership of the ARAF could be involved. The first part of the fine - $ 5 million - was to be transferred by the federation before July 1, and the remaining $ 5 million was in limbo. ARAF would have to pay this amount if it again violated anti-doping rules. 

As a result, the federation did not pay the debt until July 1, which caused a tough reaction from World Athletics. The organization announced the suspension of the activities of the Bureau for the Review of Doping Violations and the Working Group on the restoration of ARAF.

In response, the then head of the All-Russian Federation, Yurchenko, stressed that at the moment the organization simply did not have the funds to pay the fine, and lamented that the coronavirus pandemic had hurt its financial condition. 

And on July 14, the functionary completely announced his resignation from the post of head of the federation. 

“I would like to thank all the specialists who are not indifferent to the fate of Russian athletics, with whom I had the opportunity to work during this short but very difficult period. I would especially like to note the work of the members of the presidium and commission of the athletes of the federation, who had to face very serious difficulties of the protracted crisis, ”reads a statement on the ARAF website.

Yurchenko also expressed hope that the new head of the federation will be able to normalize relations with World Athletics and will be able to attract the necessary funding.