IAAF okays 11 Russians for international competitions

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The International Association of Athletics Federation(IAAF) has approved the application of 11 Russians to compete internationally as neutral athletes.

In a statement, the IAAF siad the 11 Russians met the exceptional eligibility criteria to compete in international competition as neutral athletes in 2019 under competition Rule 22.1A(b) but that the Russian national federation (RusAF) remains suspended.

The application process for athletes seeking neutral status in international competitions in 2019 opened in December 2018. So far, a total of 128 Russian athletes have been declared eligible to compete as authorised neutral athletes in 2019. Fifty-eight (58) applications have so far been rejected and one neutral athlete status has been revoked.

The Doping Review Board is composed of Robert Hersh (chair), Sylvia Barlag and Antti Pihlakoski. The affected athletes are Kseniya Aksyonova (400m), Mikhail Akimenko (High Jump), Irina Ivanova (Pole Vault), Vladislav Panasenkov (Javelin), Dmitriy Sorokin (Triple Jump), Sardana Trofimova (Marathon), Anna Tropina (3000m steeplechase) and Yuliya Turova (20km race walk). Others are Nataliya Aksenova (High Jump), Anatoliy Rybakov (5000/10000m) and Konstantin Shabanov (110mH).

 
“The participation of all these athletes as neutral athletes in international competition is still subject to formalities for eligibility under IAAF Rules being completed and subject to acceptance of their entries by individual meeting organisers”, the IAAF said.