The World Athletics Council has agreed to reinstate the Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) scheme, suspended since last March, allowing individual Russian competitors to qualify for this summer’s scheduled Tokyo 2020 Games.
The scheme – which allows Russian athletes who meet anti-doping criteria to take part in international competition – was suspended last year following the latest scandal involving the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF), which has been banned since November 2015 following the revelations of state-sponsored doping.
Rune Andersen, the World Athletics’ Russia Taskforce chairman, said that Russian athletes would be able to apply for ANA status immediately, but there will be a cap of 10 athletes for the next Olympics and World Athletics Championships, with that figure to be reviewed at the end of the year.
He added that this was dependent on RusAF continuing to satisfy the requirements agreed for their eventual return.
RusAF faced expulsion from World Athletics last year for obstructing an anti-doping investigation into world indoor high jump champion Danil Lysenko and failing to pay outstanding fines.
After missing its July 1 payment deadline RusAF stood on the brink, but a last-minute intervention by Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin, who made an “unconditional” offer to pay the outstanding fine of $6.31 million (£4.52 million/€5.28 million), saved them.
On March 1 this year a final plan for the reinstatement of the RusAF was unanimously approved by the World Athletics Council following the recommendation of Andersen.
One Russian track and field athlete was able to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympics under the recently instituted ANA scheme – long jumper Darya Klishina.