A warning from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that Russian track and field athletes might be completely barred from taking part in international tournaments, even under neutral status should not be underestimated. 

That’s the word from head of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) Dmitry Shlyakhtin who said in an interview, that “This severe step is possible if we will not be constantly proving that our athletes and coaches are observing anti-doping regulations and rules of tournaments.”

Rune Andersen, the head of the Independent IAAF Taskforce group, said in early March that in case the ARAF failed to implement the criteria set out in the Taskforce group’s Road Map, Russia’s governing track and field athletics body could be expelled completely from the IAAF.

In 2015, the WADA Independent Commission carried out an investigation into the activities of the ARAF, the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, the RUSADA and the Russian Sports Ministry.

The commission accused certain athletes and sports officials of doping abuse and involvement in other activities related to violations of international regulations on performance enhancing substances.

The work of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory and RUSADA was eventually suspended. The IAAF in turn decided to suspend ARAF’s membership in the global governing body of athletics and put forward a host of criteria, which the Russian ruling body of track and field sports was obliged to implement in order to restore its membership in the global federation.

The IAAF, however, permitted clean athletes from Russia to participate in the international tournaments under the neutral status until the membership of the ARAF was reinstated