SOCHI, Mar 15, Andrey Simonenko.A group of Russian athletes called on the All-Russian Federation of Athletics (ARAF) until March 18 to obtain guarantees from the World Athletics Association (World Athletics) that neutral athletes will have the opportunity to compete at international starts in 2022, otherwise the athletes are asked to suspend the process of restoring the ARAF and apply to the International Court of Sports (CAS) to protect the rights of the federation and athletes. A letter with the initiative was sent on Monday to the acting president of the ARAF, Irina Privalova. It was signed by more than forty athletes who have a neutral status this season. «By depriving athletes of the opportunity to compete, World Athletics violates the provisions of its own Charter. We urge WA to act within the Charter, eliminating bias and any political bias in decision-making. We believe that by violating own Charter now, WA calls into question the transparency of the ARAF restoration process, as it can repeat these actions in the future,» the letter said. experts and contacts with the Working Group). Therefore, Russian athletes can compete in international competitions only after receiving the status of a neutral athlete from World Athletics. On November 17, 2021, the World Athletics Congress extended the suspension of the ARAF until all conditions for reinstatement were met. , in the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade (Serbia, March 18-20) and the World Championships in Eugene (USA, July 15-24). According to the current rules, up to 20 Russian athletes in a neutral status could compete in them.
