Russian athletes appealed to the International Olympic Committee and United Nations human rights bodies in an effort to pave the way for their return to international competitions. The athletes said the ban imposed by World Athletics for more than four years had eliminated the career opportunities of an entire generation.
The open letter, dated September 10, was sent to the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission, the International Olympic Committee Advisory Committee on Human Rights and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Athletes describe the ban as collective punishment
The letter argued that the ongoing ban had devastating consequences for athletes. The athletes said athletics was at the center of their lives and that four years could represent one of the most important periods in an athlete’s career.
Russian athletes argued that World Athletics’ approach amounted to collective punishment and differed from the practices of other international federations. Some federations have gradually allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competitions under neutral status.
World Athletics reaffirmed its decision on July 3
On July 3, the World Athletics Council reaffirmed its decision to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions under sanctions introduced in 2022 following Russia’s attacks against Ukraine.
The Russian Athletics Federation applied to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 9 to challenge the decision. The federation filed another appeal last month.
Federation President Sebastian Coe said during the Ultimate Championship in Budapest that World Athletics’ position had not changed. Coe said the decision concerned the integrity of competition, not politics or passports.
Athletes seek to join the appeal before the arbitration court
Coe also acknowledged the importance of athletics returning to full participation on a global scale. He said World Athletics’ aim was to establish a structure in which all athletes could compete worldwide.
Russian athletes asked permission to join the appeal process in an application filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 17. The athletes said the prolonged uncertainty had a personal cost and that an athlete’s career could not wait, even if legal or institutional proceedings lasted for years.
The International Olympic Committee temporarily lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee on July 8. The Russian athletes argued that, despite this development, they remained one of the limited groups still facing broad exclusion in athletics.
