OREANDA-NEWS. The independent disciplinary body Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) temporarily took off the job the head of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (RAAF) Dmitry Shlyakhtin and other officials. This was reported on the official website of the AIU.

Shlyakhtin is accused of interfering in the investigation of the case of Russian high jumper Danil Lysenko, who was suspected of violating anti-doping rules.

In addition to Shlyakhtin and Lysenko, five more representatives of Russian athletics were taken off the job: Yevgeniy Zagorulko, Lysenko’s personal trainer; Alexander Parkin, the executive director of the RAAF; Yelena Orlova, the head of the RAAF sports programs department; Artur Karamyan, the president of the Athletics Federation of the Moscow Region; Yelena Ikonnikova, anti-doping coordinator.

In August 2018, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) suspended Lysenko because of violating anti-doping rules. The sportsman did not provide information about his whereabouts and thereby violated the Anti-Doping Code. Due to the lack of this information, out-of-competition testing could not be conducted. The high jumper is also suspected of giving false evidence in the case of missing doping tests. Trying to justify the lack of information about his whereabouts, he provided a false sick-leave certificate.

In 2018, Lysenko became the world champion in high jump indoor. In 2017, he won silver at the World Championship (outdoor).

In November 2015, the RAAF was dismembered in the IAAF due to a doping scandal. From that moment, Russian athletes need to receive neutral status to participate in international competitions.

In January 2016, the RAAF President Valentin Balakhnichev was taken off the job for life by the IAAF Ethics Board. In August 2017, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld his lifelong disqualification.