— Published March 23, 2020

Athletes leave RusAF

Russia

Heads change in Russian athletics, but the problems remain. The new presidium of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF), formed following the elections at the end of last month, has decided to proceed to the appointment by vote of the nine members of the athletes' commission. Voting is organized online between March 21 and 23. The members of the commission thus elected by their peers must then be approved by the RusAF presidium on Wednesday March 25. But three of the most decorated Russian athletes of their generation, high jumper Mariya Lasitskene, hurdler Sergey Shubenkov (photo above), pole vaulter Anzhelika Sidorova, decided not to take part in the procedure. Pore: they resigned en bloc from the said commission. They criticize the RusAF presidium for having adopted new statutes for the athletes' commission without having consulted them. Former pole vaulter Radion Gataulin also left the presidency of the RusAF Athletes' Commission for the same reasons.