War in Ukraine raises questions about Russian doping ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics

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The doping task force created nearly eight years ago to chart Russia's path back into track and field holds its final meeting this week before being disbanded.

That hardly means the country is in good standing. Questions remain over how to make sure future Russian track teams will be clean when they're allowed back into the sport after the war in Ukraine ends.

"That is a very important question," Sebastian Coe said Thursday at the World Athletics council meeting where he was elected to a third term as president.

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There are no Russians allowed at the world championships, which start Saturday in Budapest. Coe said even with Russia's track federation back in good standing from a doping standpoint, the chance of the team being allowed to compete at next year's Paris Olympics "looks unlikely at the moment, given where we are with the events in Ukraine."

With the task force's work done, the Athletics Integrity Unit, formed to oversee the anti-doping effort in track, essentially takes over as the outside overseer of Russia's track athletes.

President of World Athletics Sebastian Coe speaks during a press conference ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 17, 2023. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

AIU chair David Howman said his agency is in the midst of building a program that will "double the approach" to creating a robust testing system in Russia, a mission made more difficult because of the war.

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A key phase will be identifying which athletes should