Sport

IAAF clears Russia’s Darya Klishina to compete in Rio

Long jumper will compete as ‘neutral’ as IAAF turn down requests from 67 other Russian athletes

Russian long jumper Darya Klishina has been cleared to compete as a “neutral” athlete at the Rio Olympics. Photograph: Robert Ghement/EPA
Sun Jul 10 2016 - 15:01

Russian long jumper Darya Klishina has been cleared to compete as a "neutral" athlete at the Rio Olympics, the IAAF has announced.

Athletics’ world governing body said in a statement that the 25-year-old, who trains at the IMG Academy in Florida, had become the second athlete to meet its “exceptional eligibility criteria”.

The IAAF’s doping review board has turned down applications from another 67 Russian athletes to compete internationally as individuals following a blanket ban on the country’s track and field athletes for systematic doping.

The head of the legal department at the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexandra Brilliantova, was quoted by Tass as saying: "The refusals were received by everyone, except for Klishina."

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Doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova, whose evidence exposed the systematic doping in Russia and led to its ban from competition, was the first athlete cleared to compete in Rio.

The IAAF said: “Darya Klishina’s participation as a neutral athlete in international competition is still subject to acceptance by the organiser of the competition in question (in the case of the Rio Olympics, the International Olympic Committee), in accordance with the rules of that competition.

“As soon as the formalities for Ms Klishina’s eligibility under IAAF rules are confirmed, the IAAF will be writing to notify international events organisers of her eligibility.”

The IAAF said its doping review board had received 136 applications from Russian athletes seeking to be allowed to compete in Rio as neutrals, “namely on the basis that they are not tainted by Rusaf’s (The Russian Athletics Federation) failure to put in place adequate anti-doping systems because they have been subject to other, fully adequate systems outside of the country for a sufficiently long period to provide a substantial assurance of integrity”.

Russia has taken the fight against its ban from the Olympics to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Klishina said in a post on her official Facebook page she was “really happy” with the IAAF’s decision.

She added: “I appreciate every effort of IMG Academy and its staff to create the best possible, safe and clean environment for me.”