The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will uphold the ban on Russian track and field athletes, according to multiple reports.
The IAAF is holding a news conference in Vienna at 11:30 a.m. ET, with CBCSports.ca providing live coverage.
The IAAF council, chaired by president Sebastian Coe, made its decision after receiving a recommendation from a five-person task force, headed by Norway’s Rune Andersen, that had been monitoring Russia’s reform efforts.
IAAF will not lift suspension on Russian athletes competing at #Rio2016, Sky sources say @pkelso https://t.co/yjuvvX8317
— @SkyNews
If confirmed, the decision would mean that Russian athletes would remain unable to compete in IAAF-sanctioned events, including next month’s European championships in Amsterdam. However, some could still take part in Rio in August if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes special dispensation at its summit on June 21.
IAAF will not lift ban on Russian athletes. But next week IOC will propose compromise where demonstrably clean athletes CAN compete in Rio
— @danroan
A Russian Athletics spokeswoman said Russia is still waiting for the outcome of the IAAF meeting.
The ban was originally enforced in November following a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report alleging state-sponsored doping. A second report filed Wednesday cited further obstruction and drug-testing violations.
Several international track and field federations, including Athletics Canada, urged Coe and the IAAF to uphold the ban.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says clean athletes should not be punished because others have been caught doping.
“There cannot be collective responsibility for all athletes or athletes of one federation if someone has been caught doping,” Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
“The responsibility…should be highly personalized.”
More to come