World Athletics has maintained sanctions against Russia and Belarus in athletics without changes.

The World Athletics organization has continued to suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions under its patronage. This was reported by 'Glavkom'.

The meeting of the World Athletics Council took place on March 24-25 in Nanjing.

The Council adopted a recommendation regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international tournaments. The Council considers the sanctions adequate and does not see the need to replace, supplement, or modify them unless current circumstances worsen or a peace agreement is reached,' said World Athletics head Sebastian Coe at a press conference.

In November 2015, the All-Russian Athletics Federation (VFLA) was temporarily excluded from membership in World Athletics due to a doping scandal. The restoration of VFLA's membership has been postponed and has been delayed several times.

Sanctions against Russia and Belarus began to take effect in February 2022 after the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Suspension of athletes from Russia and Belarus continues

In March 2023, the World Athletics Council agreed to restore the full status of VFLA, but continued to suspend athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in tournaments due to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

It should be noted that former football player of Kyiv's 'Dynamo' Andriy Kanchelskis illegally visited the annexed Crimea by Russia.

The 56-year-old Kanchelskis is currently the head coach of 'Dynamo' from Bryansk. The club is conducting training in Crimea.

Kanchelskis, along with other Russian players and coaches from 'Dynamo', entered the occupied territory of Crimea, bypassing customs and border control, which violates Ukrainian legislation. He violated the law of Ukraine.

Also, it is worth noting that the Ukrainian criminal code contains a provision that envisages criminal responsibility for violating entry and exit rules to temporarily occupied territories. The punishment for this article implies imprisonment for a term of 5 to 8 years.

Kanchelskis was born in 1969 in Kropyvnytskyi (then the city was called Kirovohrad). He played for 'Dynamo' from 1988 to 1990.