IAAF Bars All Russian Athletes Except Klishina From Rio Olympics - Coach

The International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) prohibited all Russian athletes, except long jump athlete Darya Klishina, and including pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, from taking part in international competitions, including the upcoming Rio Olympics, Isinbayeva's coach said Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, the IAAF Doping Review Board agreed that Klishina meets the exceptional eligibility criteria to compete in International Competition as a neutral athlete under Competition Rule 22.1A.

The IAAF Doping Review Board received a total of 136 applications from Russian athletes seeking to compete as neutral contenders. Earlier this month, the Review Board declared Russian runner and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) informant Yulia Stepanova eligible to compete in international competitions as a neutral athlete over making  "a truly exceptional contribution to promotion of clean athletes and fair play.”

"Everyone, including Yelena, received a refusal. Based on this refusal, a suit to the court [Court of Arbitration for Sport] will be submitted to protect the rights of the athletes. We knew that we will sue in case of refusal, our lawyers are ready," Isinbayeva's coach Evgeny Trofimov told R-Sport.

IAAF has banned Russian athletes from this August’s Olympics after allegations of widespread doping in Russian sport. On June 21, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the summit in Lausanne, Switzerland, supported the IAAF's decision, but did not ban all Russian national team members from the participation in the 2016 Olympics, assuming that some Russian athletes will take part in the Games under the Russian flag. These athletes will be removed from disqualifications individually by the IAAF.

Russians turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) asking it to review the ban for those who did not test positive for doping. The lawsuit is expected to be considered on July 19.