International anti-doping authorities have granted special exemptions for seven Ukrainians to allow them to compete in the 2022 World Athletics Championships (WCH 22) now under way in the U.S. state of Oregon.
The decision acknowledges complications stemming from Russia's invasion of their homeland.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on July 15 that none of the athletes from Ukraine or five of the other six countries deemed high-risk for doping is being excluded.
Belarus is the exception, as its athletes are ineligible due to that country's involvement and support for Russian forces that invaded neighbor Ukraine in February.
"Thanks to significant improvements in most of their domestic testing programs, those countries categorized as being the highest doping risk to the sport do not have any athletes declared not eligible for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 for failing to meet minimum testing requirements as set out under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules," the AIU, a governance body, said in a statement.
It contrasted that with the 20 athletes from so-called "Category A" national federations officials consider at highest risk for doping in 2022 who were prevented from competing at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo last year.
The Category A countries are: Belarus, Bahrain, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and Ukraine, the latter over difficulties stemming from the conflict.
Many Ukrainian athletes who compete on an international level have been training abroad for months.
A main requirement for the current athletics championships involved at least three surprise, out-of-competition doping tests.
The AIU said the Ukrainians couldn't meet that standard but an exception was appropriate because of the war and "extraordinary efforts from the Ukrainian NADO and federation to arrange testing."
