The planned audit of changes within RusAF with regard to anti-doping attitudes and practices has been set in motion by World Athletics ©Getty Images

Auditors working on behalf of World Athletics have begun reviewing the implementation of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) strategic recovery plan.

A World Athletics spokesperson confirmed to insidethegames that the independent audit, which will seek to assess the cultural change that has taken place in Russian athletics with regards to anti-doping practices - a necessary precursor to discussion about potential reinstatement dates - is “being implemented”.

They added: “A report will be ready for the Taskforce to discuss before they (the Taskforce) present an update on the reinstatement plan to the World Athletics Council at the end of November.”

Russian news agency TASS quotes Margarita Pakhnotskaya - the former deputy general director of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) who is now one of two independent experts working on the RusAF case for World Athletics - as saying the auditors would be in a position to provide the working group with their report “by the end of October”.

“A meeting was held at World Athletics, which attracted an international team of auditors,” Pakhnotskaya added.

“The format for checking the implementation of the RusAF strategic recovery plan, which was approved in March 2021, was determined.

“The working group wants to make sure that the anti-doping culture has really changed in Russian athletics.

"The auditors plan to hold several online and offline meetings with representatives of RusAF.

"The auditors have already requested some documents from RusAF.”

Rune Andersen, chair of the Taskforce working on the restoration of the Russian Athletics Federation to mainline competition, is expected to present a key report in time for the Council meeting at the end of November ©Getty Images
Rune Andersen, chair of the Taskforce working on the restoration of the Russian Athletics Federation to mainline competition, is expected to present a key report in time for the Council meeting at the end of November ©Getty Images

RusAF was stripped of its membership in the International Federation in November 2015 amid a high-profile doping scandal in Russian athletics.

In December of the same year, a working group, or Taskforce, led by the Norwegian Rune Andersen was created, which has been monitoring the implementation of the RusAF recovery plan ever since.

The autumn audit is one of the most important points of this plan.

On March 12 2020, World Athletics recommended that RusAF should establish a commission to restore its membership in the International Federation including representatives of the Athletes' Commission, the RUSADA, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), the Russian Ministry of Sports and two independent experts, the first of whom is Pakhnotskaya, the second of whom is Lithuanian Vladas Stankyavichus.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe told the DPA agency in December that RusAF was moving in the right direction.

In March, however, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, World Athletics decided to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from its competitions “for the foreseeable future”, including this year’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, European Championships in Munich, and the Wanda Diamond League.

Since its initial ban RusAF has had its suspension extended more than 15 times.

However, Andersen’s recommendation to continue working towards reinstatement was accepted by the World Athletics Council despite its imposition of the ban.