World Athletics Council makes key decisions on Olympic cross country, Russian Federation and future competition dates

The World Athletics Council has today confirmed the competition format for a cross country event to be included in the Olympic Games.

The event, which has been proposed for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, would be a mixed team relay for 15 countries.

Each team would be composed of two men and two women. Each member of the team would run two legs of the 2.5km course, alternating between male and female athletes as each athlete completes the 2.5km course and hands over to a teammate.

World Athletics will meet with the Paris 2024 organising committee in the near future to work out further details of the proposal.

World Athletics Council resolves to expel RusAF if payments not received by 15 August

The World Athletics Council also decided to expel the Russian Federation (RusAF) from membership of World Athletics if it does not make the outstanding payments of a $US5 million fine and $US1.31 million in costs before 15 August.

The Council, meeting by teleconference due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, agreed to follow the recommendations of the Taskforce, delivered by chairperson Rune Andersen in his report today.

this decision will come into effect immediately and automatically if RusAF does not meet the following conditions:

  1. Payment in full of the two outstanding RusAF invoices to be received on or before close of business in Monaco on 15 August 2020.
  2. The RusAF Reinstatement Commission to provide the draft plan referenced in the third paragraph of Council’s decision of 12 March 2020 – of suitable scope and depth, with an implementation plan and progress indicators – to the Taskforce on or before 31 August 2020.
  3. Any changes required by the Taskforce to the draft plan to be incorporated to the Taskforce’s satisfaction on or before 30 September 2020.
  4. The plan to be brought into effect and satisfactory progress achieved against the plan (as determined by the Taskforce, based on the input of the international experts appointed by World Athletics), as reported by the Taskforce to Council at each of its subsequent meetings.

New dates set for World Athletics Series events postponed due to the global Covid-19 pandemic

On the first day of the meeting, the Council approved new dates for the World U20 Championships Nairobi 2020 and the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Minsk 2020.

The World U20 Championships will now be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 17 to 22 August, 2021, one week after the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Under the competition’s rules, athletes aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 years on 31 December, 2021 will be eligible to compete.