The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has strongly denied reports that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Russian athletics to allow Russian athletes to compete at domestic events in India.
AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla, who is also one of the vice-presidents of world athletics, categorically rejected the reports on Friday and clarified that India will continue to abide by the sanctions imposed by the global governing body on Russian athletes.
“I can categorically confirm that there is no Memorandum of Understanding between Russian Athletics and the Indian Athletics Federation and no Russian athlete will compete in India while the World Athletics sanctions barring Russian athletes, officials and support staff remain in place,” Sumariwalla said in a statement.
The clarification came after reports emerged claiming that Russian athletics and the AFI had finalized a “cooperation agreement” during the recent visit of the Russian delegation to India. The reported deal reportedly included participation in India’s domestic competitions, joint training camps and coaching exchanges.
Russian athletics also said discussions are underway regarding Indian athletes training in Russia and participating in events there, particularly in events such as road running.
The Russian delegation was reportedly led by chief executive Boris Yaryshevskiy and general secretary Alexander Djordjadze, while India’s representatives at the talks reportedly included Asian Athletics Association vice-president Lalit Bhanot and AFI treasurer BE Stanley Jones.
However, Sumariwalla’s latest statement has now put to rest speculation of any formal sporting agreement between the two federations.
WHY WOULD THE AGREEMENT BE PROBLEMATIC?
Any formal agreement between India and Russia in athletics would immediately come under scrutiny due to the sanctions currently imposed on Russia by World Athletics following the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russian athletes, officials and support staff remain under sanctions, which are still active, barred from major international competitions, including world athletics events. The restrictions apply to international participation under the Russian flag, while the International Olympic Committee has only allowed limited participation by Russian athletes as neutral individuals under strict conditions.
If India were to allow Russian athletes to compete at domestic events, it could raise questions about AFI World Athletics’ compliance, especially since Sumariwalla himself is one of the governing body’s vice-presidents.
The move also had the potential to create diplomatic and sporting complications for India at a time when global federations remain highly sensitive to any sporting engagement involving Russia.
India has maintained a neutral diplomatic stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the United Nations, but sports bodies affiliated with international federations will still be subject to the rules and sanctions set by their respective governing bodies.
The AFI’s emphatic denials now appear aimed at removing any ambiguity about India’s position and reaffirming that the federation will continue to comply with world athletics regulations.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
09 May 2026 00:03 IST
