Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov has revealed that an expenditure item of RUB₽30 million has been included in its budget to provide legal protection of the interests of the country's athletes ©Getty Images

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has included an expenditure item of RUB₽30 million (£382,000/$479,000/€425,000) in its budget to provide legal protection for the interests of the country's athletes, it has been revealed. 

The ROC claimed earlier this year that it would create two working groups to assist the reinstatement of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF), which has been suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) since November 2015, and to safeguard the rights of Russian athletes.

It claimed the move had been made in response to an order from Russian President Vladimir Putin for the ROC to ensure the IAAF ban imposed on the country is lifted by the end of the year so that athletes can compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, the order had been revealed following the publication of a list of instructions issued during a meeting of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport held at the end of March.

ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov has now told TASS  that the expenditure item has been included for "implementation of activities related to supporting protection of rights and interests of Russian athletes in the legal sphere". 

"Furthermore, we plan to broaden cooperation with leading Russian higher educational institutions where specialists in jurisprudence are educated," he added. 

"ROC on its part, having a qualified and experienced legal department, plans in cooperation with the federal chamber of defence counsels to initiate forming a common pool of practicing lawyers who will be ready to promptly provide qualified legal support to Russian athletes in judicial and other instances at the international sport stage.

"The work on legal protection of rights and interests of our athletes is one of the most important current tasks. 

"This is a highly challenging topic requiring a comprehensive approach towards the solution of the most different, sometimes delicate, cases with an abundance of specific features."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured here with athletes during the recently-concluded European Games in Minsk, has ordered the ROC to ensure the IAAF ban imposed on the country is lifted by the end of the year ©Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured here with athletes during the recently-concluded European Games in Minsk, has ordered the ROC to ensure the IAAF ban imposed on the country is lifted by the end of the year ©Getty Images

In May, Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) chief executive Yury Ganus called for the entire management and coaching staff of the RusAF, including President Dmitry Shlyakhtin, to be removed from their posts.

It forms part of a proposal to ensure all Russian athletes can compete at Tokyo 2020.

Ganus proposed the dismissals in a five-page letter that was addressed to Pozdnyakov.

In the letter, he writes: "Given that there is critically little time left until the start of the 2020 Olympics and there is much to do in coordination with IAAF, work toward the transformation of the federation requires an immediate resolution."

Putin has set a deadline of December 2 for a resolution to the crisis to have been reached so it does not affect preparations for next year's Olympics.

RusAF's suspension begun more than three-and-a-half years ago after the World Anti-Doping Agency found evidence through an Independent Commission of state-sponsored doping and cover-ups.

The ban has since been extended 11 times by the IAAF's ruling Council.

Following the initial suspension, Russian athletes missed out on competing at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Since then, Russian athletes who meet a strict set of criteria have been allowed compete as "Authorised Neutral Athletes".