Russia provisionally suspended by IAAF in doping scandal
http://www.france24.com/en/20151113-russia-provisionally-suspended-iaaf-doping-scandal
13 November 2015 - 23H05
Russia provisionally suspended by IAAF in doping scandal
PARIS (AFP) -
Athletics giant Russia was provisionally suspended from track and field on Friday over accusations of "state-sponsored" doping as the IAAF scrambled to salvage the sport's credibility just nine months out from the Rio Olympics.
"Today we have been dealing with the failure of ARAF (All-Russia Athletic Federation) and made the decision to provisionally suspend them, the toughest sanction we can apply at this time," IAAF president Sebastian Coe said. "But we discussed and agreed that the whole system has failed the athletes, not just in Russia, but around the world. "This has been a shameful wake-up call and we are clear that cheating at any level will not be tolerated."
Russian Mikhail Butov, an IAAF council member and ARAF secretary general, presented his country's position before 24 of the 27-strong IAAF Council chaired by Coe. But the council returned a vote of 22 for and 1 against, the simple majority confirming a suspension for Russia, who were accused of widespread doping by an independent commission set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in a report which has shaken track and field, one of the Olympic Games' flagship sports.
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The IAAF said the consequences of the provisional suspension were that "athletes and athlete support personnel from Russia may not compete in International Competitions including World Athletic Series competitions and the Olympic Games".
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