Russia pays fine to World athletics to avoid expulsion

MOSCOW - Russian Athletics Federation, known as RusAF, confirmed on Wednesday that they have paid the 6.3 million US dollars fine with the help from the country's sports ministry in order to avoid expulsion from the World Athletics.

RusAF said in a statement that it had paid the World Athletics fine "in the full amount" and they agree with a policy of "zero tolerance on doping", and they are looking for "an opportunity to begin the process of reinstating membership in World Athletics."

"World Athletics can confirm it has today received the funds to settle RusAF's two outstanding payments," World Athletics said in a statement.

World Athletics announced in late July that it would expel RusAF if it does not make the outstanding payments of a five million US dollars fine and 1.31 million US dollars in costs for breaching anti-doping rules before August 15.

The RusAF was fined 10 million US dollars in March, with half of that sum suspended. It has already missed the first deadline to pay on July 1, and then the World Athletics governing body decided to put on hold the process of granting Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) status for Russian athletes who want to compete internationally.

The Russian athletics has been suspended since 2015, and its athletes missed the 2016 Rio Olympics.