World Athletics stance on Russia unchanged, says Coe

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has affirmed his stance on sanctions against Russian track and field athletes remains unchanged, according to Coe. Russia's athletics federation has filed a new claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to contest the World Athletics' sanctions, arguing for the admission of Russian athletes and the restoration of their rights for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The global body for track and field maintains a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes since March 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia's Athletics claims the sanctions are "selective and politicized," infringing on their rights and preventing them from fully representing Russian athletes internationally. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has permitted Russian athletes to compete in team events and qualifying competitions for the Los Angeles Olympics.

Coe emphasized that his stance is not about politics or passports, but rather the integrity of competition. He expressed his intention to personally defend this position at CAS. A Russian Athletics executive director criticized Coe's statement, claiming he had crossed the line of political neutrality and is speaking for himself rather than World Athletics.

Coe acknowledged the need to resolve the impasse and stressed the importance of having a full complement of international athletes competing in World Athletics.