World Athletics Council decides on Russia, Belarus and female eligibility
ATHLETICS: PRESS RELEASE 23 MARCH 2023
World Athletics Council decides on Russia, Belarus and female eligibility
The World Athletics Council has today made a number of important decisions regarding the future participation of the Russian and Belarusian Member Federations in athletics, and the eligibility regulations for athletes who are transgender or who have Differences of Sexual Development (DSD).
Russian Federation
The Council agreed to the reinstatement of the Russian Federation (RusAF) following seven years of suspension due to egregious institutional doping violations. However, athletes, officials and supporting personnel from Russia and Belarus are still excluded from competition for the foreseeable future due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Council approved the Russia Taskforce’s recommendation that RusAF, which has been suspended for seven years due to doping, be reinstated after meeting all the requirements of the Reinstatement plan, which has been confirmed by an independent audit.
However RusAF will be required to comply with a set of 35 'Special Conditions' that are intended to ensure that RusAf’s anti-doping reforms remain in place and continue to operate effectively.
These Special Conditions are designed to enable the Athletics Integrity Unit to monitor, evaluate, communicate, mentor, oversee, and assist RusAF and its external stakeholders to ensure they maintain good governance practices and to protect RusAF from external pressures and attempts to influence or control its functioning.
They focus on four areas: organisational good governance, protection from inappropriate external influence and control, operational capability and capacity (with a particular emphasis on ethical and anti-doping requirements, and change in the regions), and budget allocation and fiscal management.
These Special Conditions are intended be applied for a period of three years, with a review at the end of that period to determine whether or not it is necessary to maintain those conditions (as they are or with variations) for a further period.
War in Ukraine
The World Athletics Council has also reaffirmed the decision it originally made in March 2022, to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, support personnel, Member Federation officials and officials who are citizens of those two countries from all World Athetics Series events for the foreseeable future.
These sanctions take effect immediately and include:
- no hosting of any International or European athletics events, which includes World Athletics Series, Continental Tour meetings and other International Competitions;
- no right to attend, speak and/or vote at meetings of Congress;
- no accreditation to attend any World Athletics Series events;
- no involvement of Member Federation personnel in any official World Athletics development or professional programmes; and
- Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel, Member Federation Officials and Officials who are Citizens of Russia and Belarus are excluded from World Athletics Series Events for the foreseeable future.
The Council recommends to the meeting organisers of the Diamond League, Continental Tour, Label Races and the various other Tours that they take the same approach and exclude Athletes and Officials from RusAF and the Belarus Athletic Federation.
The Council also agreed to establish a working group to advise and recommend to Council the conditions that would need to be met for the restrictions on Athletes and Officials from RusAF and the Belarus Athletic Federation participating at World Athletics Series Events to be lifted.
In accordance with the World Athletics constitution, the Member Federations from Russia and Belarus have been informed of the Council’s decisions and have the right to respond. If necessary, the Council will reconvene to consider that response.
Transgender and DSD Regulations
The Council agreed to update the eligibility regulations for transgender and DSD athletes to compete in the female category.
For DSD athletes, the new regulations will require any relevant athletes to reduce their testosterone levels below a limit of 2.5 nmol/L for a minimum of 24 months to compete internationally in the female category in any event, not just the events that were restricted (400m to one mile) under the previous regulations.
The principle of restricted events has been removed from the regulations.
Interim provisions will be introduced for those relevant athletes who are already competing in what were the unrestricted events (distances below 400m and above one mile, plus field events). These provisions include a requirement to suppress their testosterone levels below 2.5nmol/L for a minimum of six months, before they are eligible to compete again.
The six months period is consistent with the previous regulations, which required six months of testosterone suppression (below 5nmol/L) for DSD athletes to compete in the restricted events. The interim provisions do not apply to the previously restricted events (400m to one mile) where two years of testosterone suppression will be required before the relevant athlete is eligible to compete.
These regulations will come into effect on 31 March 2023.
In regard to transgender athletes, the Council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female World Rankings competition from 31 March 2023.
For the complete text of this Press Release, log onto: ‘https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/council-meeting-march-2023-russia-belarus-female-eligibility’
