IAAF allows another 21 Russian Athletes to compete as neutrals

To optimise for archiving, the original image and related documents associated with this article have been removed.

The International Association of Athletics Federation has approved another 21 Russian athletes to compete under a neutral status.

The approvals have been granted since WADA started analysing data from the Moscow laboratory last month. Some of the athletes are returning to competition for the first time since Russia’s team was banned in 2015 over the widespread doping scandal.

In order to gain neutral status, Russian athletes have had to prove they are clean by providing information about their drug-testing history to an IAAF panel.

There are now a total of 64 Russian athletes with neutral status for 2019, and the review process ongoing. The latest approvals however, have come a little too late for some of the athletes hoping to compete at the European Indoor Championships early March.

You may also like

View All

Pinned Article

Sport Resolutions Annual Conference 2026: Early Bird Tickets Now on Sale

Early Bird tickets for the Sport Resolutions 11th Annual Conference are now available. Join leading sport and legal professionals in London on 7 May 2026 for a full day of discussion, insight, and networking

Read More

Ukrainian skeleton athlete barred after helmet tribute dispute

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been removed from the Winter Olympics after refusing to stop wearing a helmet honouring athletes killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The IOC said the tribute breached competition rules, despite attempts to reach a compromise

Read More

Vonn incident raises questions surrounding athlete autonomy

Following American athlete Lindsey Vonn’s horrific crash during the women’s downhill event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics where she broke her leg, questions have arisen surrounding athlete autonomy as Vonn decided to compete after suffering another injury just over a week prior

Read More