World Athletics Vice-President and AFI spokesperson Adille J. Sumariwalla has categorically rejected reports of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the national athletics federations of India and Russia. This denial comes despite mounting evidence of a formal agreement for training and athlete exchange.

“I can categorically confirm that there is no Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Russian Athletics and the AFI and no Russian athlete will compete in India while World Athletics’ sanctions remain in place,” Sumariwalla said.

“We all hope there is a resolution soon to Russia’s war on Ukraine and we standby to re-engage with Russian athletics as soon as this comes to pass.”

 

NNIS Sports first reported the tie-up, backed by multiple sources and a social media post that appeared to confirm the partnership. Our investigation uncovered an official broadcast on the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) website, dated April 29, 2026, headlined: “Russian Athletics has agreed on cooperation with the Athletics Federation of India.”

The Russian statement left little room for ambiguity:

“As a result of the negotiations, a set of measures was agreed upon to expand sports cooperation, including the participation of Russian athletes in national competitions in India.”

The evidence isn’t just digital; it’s visual. A photograph shows the high-level Russian delegation including Executive Director Boris Yaryshevskiy and Secretary General Alexander Djordjadze posing outside the AFI office. They are flanked by Indian heavyweights including Lalit Bhanot, Sandeep Mehta, and Stanley Jones, alongside India’s foreign javelin expert Sergey Makarov, who reportedly mediated the talks.

So, why is Sumariwalla suddenly denying a meeting that was documented by the Russians themselves? The answer likely lies in the upheaval caused in the corridors of international sports politics.

While the IOC has recently shown a softer stance toward Belarus, World Athletics remains the fiercest critic of both Belarus and Russia, maintaining a strict ban on Russian participation under their national flag. As a Vice-President of World Athletics, Sumariwalla sits in a seat of global governance that is currently at loggerheads, bureaucratically, with the Russian Federation.

Assuming no MoU was signed and only informal talks were held; how did it even reach that stage? Didn’t the AFI which included Sandeep Mehta, the secretary, in the so-called informal meeting understand that anything with Russia will spark off alarm bells?

So, is the denial now a matter of national policy, or was the heat from WA a bit too much?

Unlike prior doping related suspensions (2017-2021) where Russians competed as “Authorised Neutral Athletes” (ANA), the current ban excludes them completely. Russian and Belarusian athletes did not compete at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

A direct MoU, which is being denied now, with the Russian Federation (RusAF) bypasses this protocol, which is a major “no-no” in the eyes of Seb Coe.