UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner has called for Russia not to be let back into the sport before this summer’s Olympics in Rio.
Russia has been suspended from international athletics competition following the scandal which revealed widespread doping by Russian athletes and cover-ups of positive tests. Warner believes the “state-organised” scandal has been so serious that Russian athletics should not be re-admitted to the Russian Olympic team.
Warner, giving evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said: “Do I think that [the athletics team from] Russia should be back in their team for Rio, no I don’t, not at all.”
Warner also outlined his plan to ensure that all athletes guilty of a serious doping offence are banned from the UK Athletics team for life.
He told MPs the governing body is instructing its lawyers to draw up a team agreement for the world indoor championships in Oregon in March where athletes will have to agree that they are “forfeiting the right ever to be picked for Britain again” if found guilty of a serious doping offence.
He added: “That has never been tested [in court] so that’s the one we want to apply and we are talking to our lawyers about it.”
