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Yelena
Isinbayeva urged the IAAF not to issue a blanket ban on Russian athletes
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Russia has become the
first country to be banned from international competition due to doping
offences after a meeting of IAAF Council members on Friday night. Officials voted 22-1 in
favour of the provisional sanction, which comes in the wakes of damning
revelations of cover-ups by the World Anti-Doping Agency last week.
The
move - which is almost certain to be made permanent by a disciplinary panel -
will see Russia lose hosting rights to next year's Race Walking World Cup and
the World Junior Championships, due to take place in Cheboksary and Kazan
respectively.
But
while, as it stands, the sanction also rules Russia out of competing in next
year's Rio Olympic Games, early indications are that the Russians will accept
their punishment and work towards fulfilling the criteria required in order to be
reinstated in time.
