<p align="justify" class="title">The world governing body of athletics will decide Sunday whether to allow Russia back into international competition after a ban that has already lasted two years following claims of State-sponsored doping.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will set the tone for a crucial International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting on 5-7 December on whether Russia can compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Russia was banned from international athletics in November 2015, preventing its track and field athletes from competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics and this year's World Championships in London.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Former world champion sprint hurdler Sergey Shubenkov was one of the Russian athletes forced to compete as a neutral in London.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">He said there should not be a "blanket ban" for Russia's Winter Olympians.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"Everybody who is not involved in the scandal should be allowed to compete wearing their national colours," he told the BBC.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">IAAF President Sebastian Coe told AFP in October that he had seen "progress" in "meeting the criteria" set for Russia's return to athletics.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">But events in recent days may well have weakened Russia's case.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">First the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decided to maintain its suspension of Russia, a decision slammed by the Kremlin as "unfair".</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Then on Friday, the IOC annulled the titles Alexander Zubkov won in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh at the 2014 Russian-hosted Sochi Winter Olympics following hearings by its commission into state-sponsored doping.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">That followed punishments announced Wednesday for four Russian skeleton competitors.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Russia's bobsleigh and skeleton federation responded to that decision by saying they were prepared to take legal action against the IOC.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">A rush of rulings this week means that, in total, the IOC has punished 14 Russian Olympians on the recommendation of a commission headed by Swiss sports official Denis Oswald set up to investigate evidence of doping with state involvement.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">It means Russia has lost nine medals, including four of its 13 golds, from the Games they hosted in February 2014.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Bernard Amsalem, a senior IAAF official and the former head of France's athletics federation, said the Russian state "remains in complete" denial about doping.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"I do not see how we can lift the suspension because one of the main conditions we have set has not been met," he said.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"If the Russian bodies to regulate and monitor doping have not been approved by WADA, I cannot see how the IAAF can go further."</p>
<p align="justify" class="title">The world governing body of athletics will decide Sunday whether to allow Russia back into international competition after a ban that has already lasted two years following claims of State-sponsored doping.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will set the tone for a crucial International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting on 5-7 December on whether Russia can compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Russia was banned from international athletics in November 2015, preventing its track and field athletes from competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics and this year's World Championships in London.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Former world champion sprint hurdler Sergey Shubenkov was one of the Russian athletes forced to compete as a neutral in London.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">He said there should not be a "blanket ban" for Russia's Winter Olympians.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"Everybody who is not involved in the scandal should be allowed to compete wearing their national colours," he told the BBC.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">IAAF President Sebastian Coe told AFP in October that he had seen "progress" in "meeting the criteria" set for Russia's return to athletics.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">But events in recent days may well have weakened Russia's case.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">First the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decided to maintain its suspension of Russia, a decision slammed by the Kremlin as "unfair".</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Then on Friday, the IOC annulled the titles Alexander Zubkov won in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh at the 2014 Russian-hosted Sochi Winter Olympics following hearings by its commission into state-sponsored doping.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">That followed punishments announced Wednesday for four Russian skeleton competitors.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Russia's bobsleigh and skeleton federation responded to that decision by saying they were prepared to take legal action against the IOC.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">A rush of rulings this week means that, in total, the IOC has punished 14 Russian Olympians on the recommendation of a commission headed by Swiss sports official Denis Oswald set up to investigate evidence of doping with state involvement.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">It means Russia has lost nine medals, including four of its 13 golds, from the Games they hosted in February 2014.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Bernard Amsalem, a senior IAAF official and the former head of France's athletics federation, said the Russian state "remains in complete" denial about doping.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"I do not see how we can lift the suspension because one of the main conditions we have set has not been met," he said.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"If the Russian bodies to regulate and monitor doping have not been approved by WADA, I cannot see how the IAAF can go further."</p>