Russia still banned, but 'things change' says Coe

LONDON : The Olympic door for Russian track and field athletes remains firmly shut, Sebastian Coe said on Monday, but he also offered them a glimmer of hope by acknowledging "the world changes" and highlighting a working group that is monitoring the situation.

Earlier this month the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that Russians and Belarusians who qualify in their sport for the Paris 2024 Games can take part as neutrals without flags, emblems or anthems, changing the position of their original blanket ban following the invasion of Ukraine.

That followed a recommendation in March that put the onus on international sports federations to decide, with most of them moving to allow the two countries' athletes to return.

Athletics, the Games' biggest and most popular sport, immediately responded by saying they would keep their ban in place, but Coe seemed less certain when speaking to journalists on Monday.

"There is no change," he said. "The most important thing is that the autonomy and independence of international federations to make these judgements is really important. We made a judgement which we believe was in the best interest of our sport.

"Do I see anything changing in the foreseeable future? I don't know. The world changes every five minutes, the situation could change. We do have a working group that is monitoring the situation within the sport and it will advise and guide (the policy-making) Council on what circumstances might need to exist for any exclusion to be lifted."

'OUTSTANDING SEASON'

The Olympics will be sandwiched between three editions of the world championships (2022, 2023 and 2025) and Coe said his sport was in a great place after a "stupendous" year.

"I can't remember a season that has delivered