MOSCOW (Reuters) – The global governing body for athletics said on Thursday it would expel Russia’s federation, suspended since 2015 for having broken anti-doping rules, if it fails to pay a hefty fine before Aug. 15.
Rune Andersen, chair of the taskforce overseeing Russia’s reinstatement efforts, said it had received a guarantee from Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin that a payment of $6.31 million, which includes a fine and other costs, would be made before mid-August. The federation had missed the initial deadline of July 1.
The expulsion, which would have to be approved by the World Athletics Congress when it convenes next year, would see Russian athletes sidelined from international competitions, including those who had previously been authorized to compete as neutrals.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Brian Homewood; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
