World Athletics chief vows to defend Russia ban in court

The Russian Athletics federation has lodged a fresh appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to overturn the bans on its athletes that World Athletics maintains. Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, told reporters at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham that he will personally attend the arbitration hearing to defend the policy. The ban, originally enacted in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, remains in force despite the International Olympic Committee’s decision to permit Russian participation in team events and qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Coe emphasized that the restriction is about preserving competition integrity, not politics, and cited previous legal rulings that upheld federation authority over eligibility. While other Olympic sport federations such as World Gymnastics and the International Skating Union have relaxed their rules, World Athletics has kept its stance. Ukraine has criticized the IOC’s upcoming allowance as premature, and the conflict continues to affect Ukrainian athletes, who receive support from a fund created by World Athletics in 2022.