World Athletics announced on Friday it had suspended the reinstatement process of Russian athletics and was contemplating expelling the country entirely from the sport.
The news comes a day after the president of the Russian athletics federation (RUSAF) and other senior officials were suspended for “serious breaches” of anti-doping rules, putting the nation's track and field athletes' participation at next year's Tokyo Olympics in further danger.
The head of World Athletics Sebastian Coe described those banned as 'renegade factions'.
“The people we were dealing with have all been suspended,” said Coe, explaining why the process of potential reintegration had been suspended.
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The global governing body of athletics, formerly the IAAF, originally banned Russia for doping in November 2015.
But Thursday's ruling by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) that accused RUSAF of obstructing an investigation into high-jumper Danil Lysenko, has deepened the crisis.
After the first day of its council meeting in Monaco, the body said it was awaiting a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency on December 9, but was considering expelling RUSAF and was also suspending the provision that allows Russians to compete as neutral athletes.
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