The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has firmly denied reports claiming that it had entered into a cooperation agreement with Russian Athletics that would allow Russian athletes to compete in domestic events in India.
AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla, who is also one of the vice-presidents of World Athletics, categorically rejected the reports on Friday and clarified that India would continue to abide by the sanctions imposed by the global governing body on Russian athletes.
“I can categorically confirm that there is no Memorandum of Understanding between Russian Athletics and the Athletics Federation of India and no Russian athlete will compete in India while World Athletics’ sanctions that exclude Russian athletes, officials and supporting staff remain in place,” Sumariwalla said in a statement.
The clarification came after reports emerged claiming that Russian Athletics and the AFI had finalised a “cooperation agreement” during a recent visit by a Russian delegation to India. The reported arrangement allegedly included participation in Indian domestic competitions, joint training camps and coaching exchanges.
Russian Athletics had also stated that discussions were underway regarding Indian athletes training in Russia and participating in events there, especially in disciplines such as road running.
The Russian delegation was reportedly led by executive director Boris Yaryshevskiy and secretary general Alexander Djordjadze, while Indian representatives at the discussions allegedly included Asian Athletics Association vice-president Lalit Bhanot and AFI treasurer B E Stanley Jones.
However, Sumariwalla’s latest statement has now shut down speculation over any formal sporting arrangement between the two federations.
WHY WOULD DEAL HAVE BEEN PROBLEMATIC?
Any formal agreement between India and Russia in athletics would have immediately attracted scrutiny because of the sanctions currently imposed on Russia by World Athletics following the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russian athletes, officials and support staff remain barred from major international competitions, including World Athletics events, under sanctions that are still active. The restrictions extend to international participation under the Russian flag, while the International Olympic Committee has allowed only limited participation of Russian athletes as neutral individuals under strict conditions.
Had India allowed Russian athletes to compete in domestic meets, it could have raised questions over AFI’s compliance with World Athletics regulations, especially because Sumariwalla himself is one of the governing body’s vice-presidents.
The move also had the potential to create diplomatic and sporting complications for India at a time when global federations remain highly sensitive about any sporting engagement involving Russia.
India has maintained a neutral diplomatic stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the United Nations, but sports bodies affiliated to international federations are still expected to follow the rules and sanctions laid down by their respective governing organisations.
The AFI’s strong denial now appears aimed at removing any ambiguity over India’s position and reaffirming that the federation will continue to remain aligned with World Athletics regulations.
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