Coe: ‘Inconceivable’ Russians would be allowed at worlds

By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The leader of global track and field said it would have been “inconceivable” to have allowed Russians into this week’s world championships given the country’s war against Ukraine. At his news conference on the eve of the championships, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said there was no budging from the position the federation took shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Belarus, an ally of Russia in the war, is also banned from the worlds. Coe noted that World Athletics was one of the first federations to reach a position and that it won’t change “for the foreseeable future.” He says that’s because of the challenges involved in getting the 22 Ukrainian athletes who qualified for worlds safely to the championships.