Coe says Russia must not be banned over doping

Track legend, Sebastian Coe, campaigning for the presidency of world athletics, has said that Russia should not be kicked out of sport because of its doping scandal.
Coe disclosed in an interview that Russia has been through “a difficult time” but it must be helped to set up a clean sports machine.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ethics committee is investigating multiple cases of alleged doping and attempts to cover up drug failures in Russia.
Coe said the IAAF leadership “is about making sure that those federations who do have these challenges are not isolated or banned as some people have suggested.
“People are saying ‘we must kick these federations out of sport’. No, actually good presidencies make sure that we help them create an environment and systems that do have integrity and do have trust and that is our responsibility as well,” said Coe, currently an IAAF vice-president.
Coe praised comments by Russia’s sports minister “talking in terms of wanting integrity and trust in sport. They have been through a difficult time but those are the right responses.”
Having at first denied claims of widespread doping made in a German television documentary, Russian athletics federation Valentin Balakhnichev resigned this month saying he had “failed” to control rising doping problems.
Coe said in December that the IAAF had the power to ban Russia and that the allegations were “damaging”. But he has since toned down his line.
“I know that the ministry of sport in Russia and the Russian federation are very keen to establish good working relationships, to establish new systems and and new people and those are the right responses,” he declared in the interview.