World Athletics firm on Russia ban, Coe acknowledges need for solution

The president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, says the body will not change its position on banning athletes from Russia.

Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from international competition since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russian Athletics last month filed a fresh appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, challenging sanctions imposed by World Athletics.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has said the governing body's position on the exclusion of Russian athletes has not changed ahead of an upcoming Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) case, while acknowledging the need for a resolution.

Russian Athletics last month filed a fresh appeal with CAS challenging sanctions imposed by World Athletics, which has barred Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"Our position hasn't changed, and this isn't about politics or passports. It's about the integrity of competition," Coe told reporters on the final day of the inaugural Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

"From the age of 18, I believe that every position I've taken … it's about integrity and it's about competition, and that matters to me."

Coe declined to discuss the federation's legal strategy ahead of the arbitration proceedings but said World Athletics would continue to defend its stance.

"So our position won't change," he said. "And look, yes, this does need to be resolved, and I'm acutely aware of that. (But) I don't think our legal teams would be particularly thankful if I laid out our approach on this."

The comments came a month after Russian Athletics confirmed a new CAS filing, following an initial filing in July, aimed at overturning sanctions it says prevent it from fully representing Russian athletes internationally and participating in World Athletics decision-making processes.

Despite reaffirming the federation's position, Coe said he recognised the importance of ultimately restoring full global participation in the sport.

"We want a full complement of people on a global level competing in our sport, and that has to be our overall objective. Of course, it does."

The Lausanne-based CAS serves as sport's highest arbitration body and is expected to hear Russian Athletics' challenge in the coming months.

World Athletics has maintained one of the toughest positions of any international federation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while some sports have gradually reintroduced Russian and Belarusian athletes under neutral status.