IAAF President Sebastian Coe has visited Tokyo to hold high-level talks with sponsors ©IAAF

An accelerated bidding process has been opened by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for the reallocation of next year's World Race Walking Team Championships and World Junior Championships after both events were taken away from Russia.

The decision to redistribute the events follows Russia's suspension after publication of a World Anti-Doping Agency Independent Commission which found evidence of state-support doping. 

Launch of the new process has coincided with IAAF President Sebastian Coe visiting Tokyo to hold talks with the world governing body's marketing agents Dentsu and several of the sport's key sponsors. 

The World Race Walking Team Championships had originally been awarded to Cheboksary and been due to take place on May 7 and 8.

The World Junior Championships were due to be staged in Kazan, host of the 2013 Summer Universiade, on July 19 to 24.

The IAAF have now given countries interested in hosting either event until Monday (December 7) to express their interest.

A conference call for those who come forward is planned for December 10 with bid documents due to be submitted by December 22.

An electronic vote among the IAAF's ruling Council is then due to be held on January 7 to choose the new host cities. 

Cheboksary had been due to host the 2016 IAAF Race Walking World Cup but have now been stripped of it after Russia were suspended ©Getty Images
Cheboksary had been due to host the 2016 IAAF Race Walking World Cup but have now been stripped of it after Russia were suspended ©Getty Images

Coe's visit to the Japanese capital had been planned before the current crisis which has seen his predecessor Lamine Diack placed under investigation in France for allegedly accepting money for covering up positive drugs tests involving Russian athletes. 

The current situation with the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) is certain to have been near the top of the agenda when the Briton met Tadashi Ishii, the chief executive of Dentsu.

He also held talks with TBS chairman Hiroshi Inoue and President Shinji Takeda.

That was followed by meetings with Seiko chairman and group chief executive Shinji Hattori, TDK President and chief executive Takehiro Kamigama and Toyota senior managing officer Shigeru Hayakawa.

Coe is also due to meet with senior officials from Tokyo 2020 during his visit. 



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