IAAF Council Makes Big Decisions Regarding Olympic Program, Shows Disappointment in Russia's Anti-Doping Progress

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

The IAAF Council met this week in London about plans for the future of the organization and global track and field as a whole.

One item on the agenda was the future of the men's 50-kilometer race walk, the only event on the championship program that does not have a women's counterpart. A proposal (reported on last week here and here) had been made to replace the men's event with a co-ed 4x5-kilometer relay and to change the 20-kilometer distance to a half marathon.

Race walk athletes put up a fight, creating a petition to keep the event, among other lobbying efforts. One problem with the proposal was that the change would go into effect in the middle of the Olympic cycle, affecting the 2019 IAAF World Championships and the 2020 Olympic Games.

In the end, the Council decided against making changes for now. However, they will continue to look at making updates to the championship program, but they would not take effect until the next Olympic cycle. That would mean the 2021 IAAF World Championships in Eugene could see race walk program changes.

The prospect of Russia's return to international competition was also discussed. The IAAF Taskforce on Russia gave their latest report, expressing disappointment in the little progress being made by the Russian Athletics Federation toward reinstatement.

There was also concern expressed about Yelena Isinbayeva's appointment to chair the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). Isinbayeva, the recently retired world record holder in the women's pole vault, has repeatedly denied the findings of both World Anti-Doping Agency reports on Russian doping.

"It is difficult to see how this helps to to achieve the desired change in culture in track and field, or how it helps to promote an open environment for Russian whistleblowers," Taskforce head Rune Anderson said in a IAAF report presented to the Council about Isinbayeva's appointment, according to Inside the Games.

This comes on the heels of information that Andrey Dmitriev, a Russian 1,500-meter runner who recently shared undercover video showing suspended and banned Russian coaches continuing to coach Russian athletes, has fled Russia because of fears for his safety.

The prospect of Russia being reinstated before the end of the year seems to be ever more in doubt. Any progress Russia has made toward reinstatement has mostly been procedural, with little real world or cultural changes regarding the doping culture in Russia.

One final piece of information that came out of the IAAF Council meeting was the creation of a working group to look at how prize money is awarded. The working group includes women's marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe.