RUSSIA TASKFORCE REPORT TO COUNCIL MEETING OF 2 DECEMBER 2020
I am pleased to present the following update to Council on behalf of the Russia Taskforce:
1.

First, as a reminder:

1.1
In March, Council imposed a $10 million fine on RusAF for breaching the antidoping rules, with $5 million to be paid by 1 July 2020 (along with costs of $1.31 million)
and the other $5 million suspended. Council also decided that for the remainder of 2020
no more than ten Russian athletes would be permitted to compete as authorised neutralathletes (ANAs) in the Olympic Games, World Athletics Series events, and the European
Athletics Championships. And Council asked the Taskforce to draw up new terms ofreference for the reinstatement of RusAF, based on the development of a detailed plan ofaction that would ingrain a culture and reality of zero tolerance for doping within RusAF
and throughout Russian athletics, so that RusAF becomes a trusted ally of World Athletics
in the fight for clean sport (the Reinstatement Plan). The plan was to be drawn up withthe assistance of international experts appointed by World Athletics, who would thenoversee its implementation.
1.2
RusAF failed to pay the $5m fine instalment and the $1.31m in costs by the 1 July
deadline. As a result, at the request of the President, the Taskforce stood down and theDoping Review Board stopped actioning any applications for ANA status.
1.3
In July, Council resolved to call a meeting of Congress to vote on the expulsion ofRusAF from membership, but agreed to stay that decision as long as RusAF met various
conditions committed to by the Russian Minister of Sport, including payment of the $6.31million in full by 15 August, and provision of a Reinstatement Plan by 31 August.
1.4
RusAF paid the $6.31 million in full by 15 August 2020, and provided a draft
Reinstatement Plan before 31 August 2020. The plan had some useful elements but
required significant elaboration to be a practical roadmap to reinstatement. Therefore, on
23 September, on the Taskforce’s recommendation, and to allow for the fact that a new
RusAF President would not be elected until 30 November 2020, Council extended thedeadline for RusAF’s provision of the Reinstatement Plan to no later than 1 March 2021,
on the basis that this is a long-stop date, i.e., if an adequate plan has not been producedby this date, the proposal to expel RusAF will be pursued without further delay. Council
also decided that Russian athletes would only be allowed to compete in international
competitions as ANAs if a suitable Reinstatement Plan was provided and satisfactory
progress was made in the implementation of that plan.
2.

Since Council’s September decision, the following progress has been made:2.1
In consultation with the Taskforce, World Athletics has identified and appointed
three very well-qualified international experts: (i) Margarita Pakhnotskaya, the former
deputy Director-General of RUSADA, who lives in Moscow; (ii) Vladas Stankevicius, aRussian-speaking change management professional, who will spend the majority of histime in Russia; and (iii) Peter Nicholson, a former WADA international expert, who will
support the other two experts remotely and travel to Russia as necessary.
2.2
World Athletics and RusAF have signed a new ‘Framework Agreement’ to confirm
RusAF’s commitment to adopt and implement an appropriate Reinstatement Plan and topay all of the costs incurred by World Athletics in relation to the reinstatement process,including the costs of the international experts. In October 2020, World Athletics invoiced

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RusAF for $321,494, representing reinstatement costs incurred in the period 1 April to30 September 2020; and RusAF has paid that invoice in full.
2.3
Jon Taylor and I had a constructive videoconference with Andrey Konokotin (AK- RusAF General Secretary) and Alexander Cherkashin (AC - RusAF foreign affairs adviser),and by early September the international experts had started working daily with thecurrent RusAF management (AK, AC, and acting General Director Boris Grishin). The
objective was to determine the existing state of affairs, and to establish a series of key
performance indicators (KPIs) for RusAF to achieve by the end of November 2020,
including developing key strategic goals and a supporting operational roadmap as thebasis for the Reinstatement Plan, which identified (among other things) theorganisational and budgetary changes required to implement the plan. The international
experts have been reporting regularly to the Taskforce, and their view to date is that theRusAF management has been receptive to their input and constructive in its attitudes, andhas largely achieved these interim KPIs. The new RusAF President will have to decide
whether he supports this positive approach and whether he can mobilise and allocate thenecessary resources to implement the Reinstatement Plan successfully. If the newPresident responds favourably on both points, the international experts are hopeful thatan appropriate Reinstatement Plan could be put in place and implementation could begin
well before the 1 March 2021 long-stop date.
2.5On Monday of this week (30 November 2020), Mr Piotr Ivanov was elected as thenew President of RusAF, together with a new Praesidium. I had a good introductory callwith Mr Ivanov yesterday. I told him that previous RusAF regimes had let down badly
both Russian athletes and the global athletic community; but the Taskforce is ready tohelp him turn things around, if he is ready, willing, and able to commit to the fundamental
changes that are required in Russian athletics. Mr Ivanov in turn said he is ready to meetwith the Taskforce at any time, and in the interim he and his staff will work with theinternational experts to ensure that RusAF meets all of World Athletics’ requirements toget RusAF reinstated and Russian athletes back into international competition as soon as
possible.
3.
In summary, then, since Council’s last meeting, through the signature of theFramework Agreement, and the appointment and initial work of the international
experts, a solid foundation has been laid for the new RusAF President to build on. We will
now all need to see whether RusAF is ready to grasp this last opportunity. As always, theTaskforce stands ready to help RusAF, and so do the international experts. I hope when
Council meets next, I will be able to report that under the leadership of its new President,
Mr Ivanov, RusAF has made meaningful progress towards meeting Council’srequirements.
4.
In the meantime, the Taskforce requests and recommends that the Council
resolves as follows:
4.1
To approve the revised Terms of Reference for the Taskforce that
accompany this report. These revised Terms of Reference update the originalTerms of Reference to reflect the developments set out above.
4.2
That the decision Council made in July (to propose that Congress expels
RusAF from membership of World Athletics) remains suspended, but will comeinto effect immediately and automatically if any of the following conditions is not
met:

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(1)

continued payment in full of the costs incurred by World Athletics
in relation to the reinstatement process, in accordance with theFramework Agreement;(2)

proposal by the Reinstatement Commission and approval byCouncil of a satisfactory Reinstatement Plan by no later than 1March 2021; and(3)satisfactory progress being made against the Reinstatement Plan,
as reported by the Taskforce to Council at each of its subsequentmeetings.

4.3
That Council will consider whether to allow Russian athletes to compete
again as ANAs in international competitions (including allowing up to 10 ANAs toparticipate in World Athletics Series events and the Tokyo Olympic Games) at its
next meeting, in March 2021, or earlier if the Taskforce so recommends, based on
the progress made by RusAF to that date.
Rune Andersen, Taskforce Chair
2 December 20203