MOSCOW, Jul 15 World Athletics President Sebastian Coe told reporters that, when deciding to suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes, he took into account the importance of maintaining the integrity of the competition. On March 1, against the backdrop of events in Ukraine, the World Athletics Council suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in major international tournaments, including the World Championships in Eugene (USA) , which starts on July 15. «We have an established position on this issue. Our federation was one of the first to develop a position on this issue back in February. Our position was quite clear and was to maintain the integrity of the competition. It would be unimaginable to hold a championship world with the participation of athletes from Belarus and Russia, when athletes from Ukraine would have to overcome enormous difficulties to get here,» Coe said at a press conference conference, noting that the suspension is for the foreseeable future.
