Mikhail Akimenko is one of 23 new Russian athletes to be given ANA status ©Getty Images

The World Athletics Doping Review Board has given another 23 Russian athletes Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) status for the 2021 season, after deeming they have met the eligibility criteria to compete in international competitions.

ANA status allows individual athletes to compete while the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) remains suspended, and it has now been granted to 27 in total.

Athletes need to meet certain anti-doping criteria, but the status enables them to appear at events including the Olympic Games.

Among the new intake is 2019 world high jump silver medallist Mikhail Akimenko, current 20-kilometre race walk world silver medallist Vasiliy Mizinov and pole vaulter Irina Ivanova.

Shot put and discus thrower Semen Borodayev, 400 metres hurdler Timofey Chalyy, 100m hurdler Kseniya Labygina, pole vaulter Alyona Lutkovskaya, hammer thrower Denis Lukyanov and runners Anna Tropina and Olga Onufriyenko will be eligible too.

Race walkers Kirill Frolov, Darya Golubechkova, Dmitriy Gramachkov, Yuliya Khalilova, Maksim Pyanzin, Yuliya Turova and Elvira Khasanova have achieved ANA status, as have long jumpers Sergey Polyanskiy, Artem Primak and Yelena Sokolova.

Marathon runner Sardana Trofimova, triple jumper Mariya Privalova and hammer thrower Valeriy Pronkin will also have ANA status.

They join another four Russians who previously received the status in late April - back-to-back-to-back high jump world champion Mariya Lasitskene, world champion pole vaulter Anzhelika Sidorova, world high jump bronze medallist Ilya Ivanyuk and pole vaulter Aksana Gataullina.

Anzhelika Sidorova was one of four Russians given ANA status in April ©Getty Images
Anzhelika Sidorova was one of four Russians given ANA status in April ©Getty Images

Two ANA applications have been rejected so far this year, according to World Athletics.

The ANA scheme was suspended last year following the latest scandal involving the RusAF, which has been suspended since November 2015 in relation doping cover-ups.

The RusAF faced expulsion from World Athletics last year for obstructing an anti-doping investigation into world indoor high jump champion Danil Lysenko and failing to pay outstanding fines.

However it was not expelled, and in March the World Athletics Council approved the reinstatement of the ANA programme, following the unanimous approval of a RusAF reinstatement plan.

The World Athletics Council also agreed that for 2021, no more than 10 Russian athletes will be granted eligibility to compete under the ANA label at any major meeting including the Olympics and the European Under-23 Athletics Championships.

The RusAF may choose the 10 athletes to compete from those with ANA status, but it must prioritise athletes who are in the International Registered Testing Pool.