World athletics' governing body has extended the ban on Russia competing in international competition, due to its deep problems with doping.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) council voted unanimously on December 1 to uphold the suspension despite some steps taken in Moscow, including President Vladimir Putin having approved a law criminalizing doping in sports.
The Russian Athletics Federation has been suspended since November 2015, after a damning World Anti-Doping Agency-commissioned report detailed the deep-rooted culture of doping and deception in Russian sports.
The Russian federation "has made further progress since June 2016", said Rune Andersen, who head of the task force monitoring Russia's steps.
But it now had to prove that the federation and Russia's own anti-doping agency could "conduct anti-doping programs in Russia without outside interference."
Another report on the state of Russia's compliance is due to be issued by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren next week.
The next opportunity by the IAAF to revisit the question of the ban will come in February.
