Austria: Russian athletes can still apply to compete in Olympics say IAAF

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) doping expert, Rune Andersen, stated that athletes who have shown zero tolerance for doping can apply for permission to compete in international competitions not for Russia but as a neutral athlete, during a press conference in Vienna on Friday afternoon. The statement came after the IAAF Council members announced that they had voted unanimously to maintain Russia's athletics ban.
"If there are individual athletes who can clearly and convincingly show that they are not tainted by the Russian system because they have been outside the country, and subject to other, strong anti-doping systems, including effective drug-testing, then there should be a process through which they can apply for permission to compete in international competitions not for Russia but as a neutral athlete," Andersen stated.
Moreover, the doping expert added that "any individual athlete who has made an extra ordinarily contribution to the fight against doping in sport should also be able to apply for such permission. "In case of Yulia Stepanova, a former Russian runner who was suspended for doping offences, it "should be considered favorably," according to Andersen.