MOSCOW – The head of Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA, Yury
Ganus, doesn't expect the nation's athletics team to compete under
their own flag at the upcoming world championships.
Ganus said in an interview with state news agency TASS published
Friday that the ruling athletics body IAAF was unlikely to lift
RUSADA's suspension at a council meeting Monday, a move required to
let the athletes compete for their country.
"All the information I have, which I cannot disclose, says that the
Russian athletic federation will not be reinstated," Ganus said.
"As I understand, the international federation has questions for the
Russian athletic federation, and they are quite significant if the
status of the Russian federation has not yet been restored. The
current situation cannot be used to hold Russia's athletics hostage."
Russia's athletics body RUSAF has been suspended since November 2015
over wide-ranging doping practices in the country. Russian athletes
can compete as neutrals and a team of 29 has been entered for the
September 27-October 6 worlds in Doha.
Ganus said he believes the suspension will be upheld once again
because the database from Moscow's anti-doping has not been fully
examined yet by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
He also noted the not yet completed probe into RUSAF officials
allegedly involved in covering up a failed doping test from high
jumper Danil Lysenko.