The head of World Athletics said on Wednesday that, rather than lamenting that only 10 Russians will be able to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, the country should be grateful they have anyone here at all given their long history of “obfuscation”. At a news conference held during a World Athletics Council meeting at the Olympic Stadium, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe pulled no punches when asked by a Russian journalist to justify the number. You can understand that we have been dealing with this for six years and in the first few years, more than that, there was little progress or no progress and, frankly, obfuscation to the work of the Task Force. There were colleagues of mine who questioned whether any neutral athletes should be there. They are being welcomed into RUSAF to make sure the return road map is being implemented and that they are meeting the timelines that have been set by the Task Force.”

Source: The Star July 28, 2021 10:07 UTC