Exceptional Eligibility Guidelines for International Competition
Press Release
23 June 2016 - The IAAF has today published a set of guidelines for athletes seeking exceptional eligibility for International Competition under Competition Rule 22.1A.
The guidelines come following last week’s IAAF Council Meeting, where it was decided that the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) had not met the verification criteria to be reinstated as an IAAF Member Federation.
A rule amendment was also passed which means that if there are any individual athletes who can clearly and convincingly show that they are not tainted by the Russian system because they have been outside the country and subject to other effective anti-doping systems, then they should be able to apply for permission to compete in international competitions, not for Russia but as a neutral athlete.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe said: "Both the Taskforce and the Doping Review Board have worked extremely hard to get to where we are today, just days away from the European Championships. We know there are some Russian athletes considering applying to compete in international competitions under this new rule so it is important they are all clear about the criteria under which their application will be reviewed.”
Guidelines for applications under Competition Rule 22.1A
1. Any athlete seeking exceptional eligibility for International Competition under Competition Rule 22.1A should apply in writing without delay by email to the IAAF General Secretary, whose email address is
2. The application does not need to be made using any special form. However, it should be submitted in the English language and meet the requirements set out in these Guidelines. In particular, the application should identify the specific sub-clause that the applicant is applying under, i.e., either Rule 22.1A(a), Rule 22.1A(b), or Rule 22.1A(c), and the specific International Competition(s) for which eligibility is sought. It should also set out the grounds upon which the applicant claims to meet the criterion/criteria set out in the provision relied on (with particular reference to paragraph 7, below). Legible and authentic copies of any documents that the applicant is relying on to demonstrate his/her satisfaction of the criterion/criteria should be filed along with the application, together with certified translations into English of any documents submitted in a foreign language. The IAAF may take steps to verify the authenticity of any documents forwarded as part of an application. The application should end with a signed and dated statement by the applicant affirming that the contents of the application (and any accompanying documents) are true, and that no facts have been omitted that a reasonable person would consider to be relevant. The applicant may be assisted in making the application by a representative of his or her choice and at his or her own expense.
3. Upon receipt of an application, the General Secretary will check to ensure that it meets the requirements of these Guidelines. If it does not, he will send it back to the applicant, explaining what changes/additions are needed to meet those requirements. If it does, he will send it without delay to the members of the Doping Review Board, who should acknowledge receipt by return.
4. The current members of the Doping Review Board are Robert Hersh (chair), Abby Hoffman,1 and Antti Pihlakoski. If they deem it necessary or appropriate, they may co-opt a further individual (e.g., a nominee of WADA) onto the Doping Review Board to assist them in considering applications made pursuant to Competition Rule 22.1A (for example, to assist them in the benchmarking exercise required under Competition Rule 22.1A(b)), and/or they may obtain legal advice/support in the discharge of their functions.
5. The members of the Doping Review Board will consider the application on the papers. If they see fit, they may contact the applicant for more information, and may ask the applicant to join a conference call with them to discuss the application/provide further information. In his/her application, the applicant may request that the Doping Review Board allow him/her to make oral submissions to it in support of the application, which request should be supported with a detailed explanation of why oral submissions are necessary in all the circumstances of that case. For the avoidance of doubt, however, the applicant shall not have a right to be heard orally by the Doping Review Board (in person or by telephone conference call), and so should ensure that all of the necessary information is provided to the Doping Review Board as part of his/her written application.
6. The Doping Review Board shall grant an application under Competition Rule 22.1A only when the applicant has demonstrated to its comfortable satisfaction that he/she fully satisfies the relevant criterion/criteria specified in the sub-clause of Competition Rule 22.1A on which he/she is relying. The more important the International Competition in which the applicant is seeking to compete, the more corroborating evidence the applicant will have to provide in order to meet that burden.
7. Where the application is made pursuant to Competition Rule 22.1A(b), the Doping Review Board shall consider all such factors as it deems relevant, which may include (without limitation):
7.1 The nature and extent of the applicant's contacts with officials, coaches, doctors, other support persons, and other appointees or representatives of his/her (now suspended) National Federation, and the period over which those contacts occurred.
7.2 Any intelligence, investigation(s), and/or results management impacting upon or implicating the applicant.
7.3 Whether any coach, doctor or other support person with whom the applicant has worked has ever been implicated in the commission of any anti-doping rule violation(s).
7.4 Whether any samples previously provided by the applicant are currently in storage and/or subject to re-testing.
7.5 What, in all of the circumstances of the case, including the nature and timing of the International Competition(s) for which eligibility is sought, is a "sufficiently long period" for the athlete to have been subject to other (fully adequate) anti-doping systems outside of the country of his/her National Federation for purposes of Rule 22.1A(b) (the "Relevant Period").
7.6 The extent to which the applicant was outside of the country of his/her National Federation during the Relevant Period, and why (in particular, was he/she outside of the country in an individual capacity, or was he/she under the control or supervision of the National Federation, for example, as part of a team or delegation representing the National Federation, or attending a training camp organised by the National Federation?).
7.7 Whether the applicant was subject to other, fully adequate anti-doping systems outside of the country of the National Federation throughout the Relevant Period. Were there any times during that period when he/she was not subject to testing?
7.8 In particular, whether the applicant was in a Registered Testing Pool or providing other whereabouts during that period, and (if so) to whom, and what was the quality of that whereabouts information (e.g., how many unsuccessful attempts were made to test the applicant, were any whereabouts failures declared against the applicant?).
7.9 How much in-competition testing and how much out-of-competition testing did the applicant undertake during the Relevant Period outside of the country of his/her (suspended) National Federation, including (a) how many urine samples and how many blood samples, (b) how many Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) samples, (c) who were the testing authorities, and (d) where were the samples sent for analysis?
7.10 How comparable is that testing, qualitatively, to the testing to which the applicant's prospective competitors in the International Competition(s) in question have been subjected during the same period?
7.11 Where the applicant has been subjected to ABP testing, have any concerns been raised about his/her ABP profile (steroidal and/or haematological modules)?
8. The Doping Review Board will issue its decision on the application as soon as reasonably practicable. It shall provide brief reasons for its decision, which will be communicated to the applicant. Where the application is granted, the Doping Review Board will specify in the decision the conditions of the grant of eligibility, including (without limitation) the need for the applicant to sign an agreement with the IAAF in accordance with Competition Rule 21.1.
9. An athlete whose application is granted and has met all specified conditions will as a result hold special eligibility to compete in the International Competition(s) in question in an individual capacity, as a Neutral Athlete (as defined in the Competition Rules). However, in order to compete in that competition, in addition to complying with all of the other eligibility requirements under the Competition Rules, that athlete will still have to obtain an invitation to participate in the International Competition(s) in question, in line with the rules of the organisers of that competition.
10. The decision of the Doping Review Board on any application made under Competition Rule 22.1A will be subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in accordance with the CAS Code of Sports-related Arbitration. The language of the appeal proceedings shall be English.
1 Due to her involvement as a member of the IAAF Taskforce for Russia, Ms Hoffman will recuse herself from the Doping Review Board when it considers applications made by Russian athletes. A replacement will be appointed to sit in her place on the Doping Review Board for such applications.
