Doping scandal: IAAF president Sebastian Coe meets new head of Russian Athletic Federation

Russia was suspended from competition after a World Anti-Doping Agency commission accused them of operating a systematic and state-sponsored doping program

IAAF president Lord Coe (Getty Images)

IAAF president Sebastian Coe has met with the new head of the Russian Athletic Federation, which was banned from world track and field in November following doping allegations.

The Russian federation says Coe and Dmitry Shlyakhtin discussed Russian athletics and “the way to lead it out of the crisis.”

Shlyakhtin briefed Coe on reforms in Russian track and field, saying they are "an issue that can't be solved in one day and which requires systematic and painstaking work," according to the Russian federation.

Russia was suspended from competition, including August's Olympics in Rio de Janiero, after a World Anti-Doping Agency commission accused them of operating a systematic and state-sponsored program of drug use by star athletes.

The Russian government has persistently denied any involvement in doping, saying that any drug use was isolated, and accused the WADA commission of tarnishing Russia's reputation. On Friday, the country’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko told the Tass news agency that Russian prosecutors had ruled any doping was not state-sponsored.

Sunday's announcement from the Russian federation came as it held what would normally be a highlight of the domestic track calendar, the Russian Winter meet, which usually brings in star names from around the world. However, this year only Russian athletes competed, since Russia's ban from world track and field also stops foreigners from competing at Russian events.

Organizers tried to use Russia's ban to attract patriotic fans. In his opening speech, Moscow city government representative Alexei Vorobyov boasted that since Russian athletes are not allowed to compete abroad, the crowd would see "something that's not available to anyone else."

However, despite the presence of cheerleaders and a marching band on the track - an innovation that brought scorn from some athletes who said the performances had interrupted their warmups - the attendance appeared down on the previous year. Lacking international star power, the start lists saw established Russian names rub shoulders with little-known youngsters from the country's regions.

Among those competing was Ekaterina Koneva, the reigning world indoor triple jump champion, who will be unable to defend her title in Portland in March due to Russia's exclusion.

"I hope that everything turns out in our favor and that justice will triumph," said Koneva, who herself served a doping ban in 2007. "How can you have the Olympics without Russia?"

IAAF president Sebastian Coe has met with the new head of the Russian Athletic Federation, which was banned from world track and field in November following doping allegations.

The Russian federation says Coe and Dmitry Shlyakhtin discussed Russian athletics and “the way to lead it out of the crisis.”

Shlyakhtin briefed Coe on reforms in Russian track and field, saying they are "an issue that can't be solved in one day and which requires systematic and painstaking work," according to the Russian federation.

Russia was suspended from competition, including August's Olympics in Rio de Janiero, after a World Anti-Doping Agency commission accused them of operating a systematic and state-sponsored program of drug use by star athletes.

The Russian government has persistently denied any involvement in doping, saying that any drug use was isolated, and accused the WADA commission of tarnishing Russia's reputation. On Friday, the country’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko told the Tass news agency that Russian prosecutors had ruled any doping was not state-sponsored.

Sunday's announcement from the Russian federation came as it held what would normally be a highlight of the domestic track calendar, the Russian Winter meet, which usually brings in star names from around the world. However, this year only Russian athletes competed, since Russia's ban from world track and field also stops foreigners from competing at Russian events.

Organizers tried to use Russia's ban to attract patriotic fans. In his opening speech, Moscow city government representative Alexei Vorobyov boasted that since Russian athletes are not allowed to compete abroad, the crowd would see "something that's not available to anyone else."

However, despite the presence of cheerleaders and a marching band on the track - an innovation that brought scorn from some athletes who said the performances had interrupted their warmups - the attendance appeared down on the previous year. Lacking international star power, the start lists saw established Russian names rub shoulders with little-known youngsters from the country's regions.

Among those competing was Ekaterina Koneva, the reigning world indoor triple jump champion, who will be unable to defend her title in Portland in March due to Russia's exclusion.

"I hope that everything turns out in our favor and that justice will triumph," said Koneva, who herself served a doping ban in 2007. "How can you have the Olympics without Russia?"

AP