Russia’s track and field team has been banned from competing in this summer’s Rio Olympics, the New York Times first reported. 

For the past seven months, Russian track athletes have been banned from international competition since accepting the World Anti-Doping Agency's recommendation that the IAAF suspend Russia last November. Russia stated that it "hoped to end the doping culture." The 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland was the first major competition where Russian athletes did not compete.

Today in Vienna, the IAAF met to decide whether or not to lift the initial ban on Russian athletes competing. IAAF President Sebastian Coe and Rune Anderson, the independent chairperson of the IAAF task force assigned to investigate Russia, confirmed the Russian federation will remain banned from international competition.

"What we have been saying in the task force, because the system in Russia has been run by doping from top level and down, we cannot trust that what we call, and what people call, clean athletes, really are clean," Anderson said. "With the systematic doping that has been going on in Russia, it’s difficult to pick the clean athletes. One or two or 100 negative tests does not prove that the athlete is clean. History has shown that."

Coe said he thinks this sends a strong message from the IAAF that this is "non-negotiable."

Anderson presented four recommendations, which were unanimously accepted by the IAAF Council, that can be read in full below.


In summary, the four recommendations (Provided by the IAAF) are:

1. The first recommendation is RusAF should not be reinstated to membership at this stage, because several important Verification Criteria have not been met, specifically:
 - The deep-seated culture of tolerance (or worse) for doping that led to RusAF being suspended in the first place appears not to have changed materially to date.
 - A strong and effective anti-doping infrastructure capable of detecting and deterring doping has still not been created. 
 - There are detailed allegations, which are already partly substantiated, that the Russian authorities, far from supporting the anti-doping effort, have in fact orchestrated systematic doping and the covering up of adverse analytical findings.

2. The second recommendation is that while RusAF remains suspended, no other representatives of RusAF (i.e., officials, athlete support personnel, etc.) should take part in international competition or in the affairs of the IAAF.

3. The IAAF Council also passed a rule amendment (the third recommendation) explaining if any individual athletes can clearly and convincingly show they are not tainted by the Russian system because they have been outside the country and subject to other effective anti-doping systems, including effective drug-testing, they should be able to apply for permission to compete in international competitions—not for Russia, but as a neutral athlete.

4. The fourth recommendation is any individual athlete who has made an extraordinary contribution to the fight against doping in sport should also be able to apply for such permission. In particular, Yuliya Stepanova's case should be considered favorably.

USATF President and IAAF Council Member Stephanie Hightower issued this statement:

"The decision by Council goes to the essence of our sport's most critical issue. The IAAF has the obligation to do what is best for the sport and, first and foremost, to ensure clean and fair competition for all athletes. The continued suspension of the Russian federation came after a thorough and fair process. It is the only proper course of action given the compelling and powerful evidence presented to Council. We do not believe that every Russian athlete cheated, and it is unfortunate and regrettable that some may pay a penalty for the serious transgressions of their federation. Ultimately, Council chose to act with unanimity and strength to help rebuild the integrity of the sport and the public trust."

Russian authorities were notified of the decision and are "extremely disappointed."

#Russia "extremely disappointed" by "unprecedented" #IAAF ban. "#Olympics will be diminished by their absence" pic.twitter.com/pCzp7RiE0h

— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) June 17, 2016

This decision will surely incite great controversy. Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva threatened to sue should the ruling be upheld, and said the act would leave clean Russian athletes "broken." Reigning Olympic pole vault champ Jenn Suhr said she doesn't want Russia banned. "If you don't have your best people in the event, then it's not really the true event," Suhr said yesterday. Her husband and coach Rick Suhr went even further. 

"If you're going to have an Olympic final, you're going to want Jenn in there and you're going to want Yelena Isinbayeva in there," he said. "It's the Ali-Frazier [of pole vaulting]. Without them, is it really even the Olympic final? They're the greatest pole vaulters who have ever touched a pole. The spectators and the world deserve to see the best people jump."

This is a developing story. Watch the IAAF press conference LIVE here.