A task force from the governing body of world athletics will make a first visit to Russia on January 10 and 11 to inspect for progress toward cleaning up the doping scandal that led to Russia's suspension from the sport last month.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has laid out a series of steps that Russia must take to be reinstated before the Rio Olympics in August.
The visit marks "the formal beginning of our work to confirm Russia's commitment to the verification process," said Rune Andersen, head of the IAAF task force on reforming Russian athletics.
He added that "we have established a good working relationship" with the Russian federation.
The suspension followed a report by an independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency that exposed widespread, state-sponsored doping and related corruption.
