IAAF gives Russia ''roadmap'' for return to fold

Russia was suspended last month following a report by the WADA's independent commission.

London: The Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) has been given clear instructions on the action it needs to take and which safeguards must be put in place before being reinstated to the sport, the IAAF said on Friday.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) published a long and detailed list of criteria that the ARAF must satisfy before the ban imposed for widespread doping offences is lifted.

Russia was suspended last month following a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency`s (WADA) independent commission that exposed widespread, systematic state-sponsored doping and related corruption.

Russia has accepted the ban and vowed to follow the IAAF`s direction to "return to compliance."

Russian athletes are set to miss the world indoor championships in the United States in March and face a race against time to be cleared to compete in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next August.

"The conditions we have announced leave no room for doubt. Russia must demonstrate verifiable change across a range of criteria and satisfy our task force that those criteria will be met permanently," IAAF president Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

"There is no timeline for Russia. It is up to them to implement verifiable change both in anti-doping practice and culture."

The IAAF said the Russian federation must be able to show that none of its directors, officers or staff have any prior links to doping, while introducing a comprehensive code of ethics.

The ARAF must also act to stop any practices or systems that could incentivise doping, and ensure effective deterrence of future doping through the proposed criminalisation of the distribution and trafficking of prohibited substances under Russian law.

The country must also demonstrate that it is in full compliance with the WADA programme as well as IAAF rules, and that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), currently suspended, is able to operate "effectively and without interference".

That last point was in reference to revelations made by WADA`s independent commission that members of the Russian secret service had been present in test laboratories.

An IAAF task-force is due to make its first inspection visit to Russia in January.