The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Thursday clarified that Russian athletes will not be permitted to compete in the country, distancing itself from claims made earlier by Russian Athletics regarding a "cooperation agreement" between the two federations.
Background of the Controversy
The explanation came after Russian Athletics announced on its website and Instagram handle that it had entered into an agreement with the AFI following meetings between officials of the two countries in New Delhi. The announcement sparked concerns within the global athletics community because Russian athletes remain suspended by World Athletics after their invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
AFI's Official Statement
Rejecting the claims, World Athletics vice-president and AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla stated that no formal agreement has been signed between the two federations. "I can categorically confirm that there is no Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Russian Athletics and the AFI and no Russian athlete will compete in India while World Athletics' sanctions remain in place," Sumariwalla said. "We all hope there is a resolution soon to Russia's war on Ukraine and we standby to re-engage with Russian athletics as soon as this comes to pass," he added.
Potential Sanctions Avoided
According to AFI sources, the Russian announcement had drawn attention from World Athletics and raised fears of possible sanctions against India if Russian athletes were allowed to participate in domestic competitions. Sources said a Russian delegation had visited India sometime back as part of a BRICS-related engagement and held discussions with AFI representatives about possible training and competition opportunities. However, the talks remained informal and no proposal was finalised. The Russian delegation included executive director Boris Yaryshevskiy and secretary general Alexander Djordjadze, while Indian representatives included Asian Athletics Association vice-president Lalit Bhanot and AFI treasurer BE Stanley Jones.
