Culture & Sports
13:45, 01-Aug-2017
Russian athletes banned from singing national anthem at London world championships
[]
Share
Copied
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is to prohibit athletes from Russia, competing as neutrals at the upcoming 2017 World Championships in London, from singing their country's national anthem at any venues or official hotels, reported Russian media TASS.
As 19 Russian athletes are participating the championships under a neutral flag, the IAAF has banned them to display any identity of their country during the tournament, according to IAAF' regulations for the neutral athletes published on its official website.
"The national anthem of the country of the Neutral Athlete shall not be played or sung at any time within the vicinity of any venue associated with the event including but not limited to the competition venue, warm-up area, call room, training grounds and hotels," says the official document.
Earlier, the use of national colors in the Russian uniform is also banned.
The IAAF suspended the Russian national athletics federation in the wake of a doping scandal exploded in November 2015, following a World Anti-Doping Agency report on an alleged state-sponsored doping program in the country.
8151km