IAAF bans Algerian federation in rare move

Algerian track and field athletes were barred from all international competitions after the world governing body suspended the country's athletics federation.

IAAF executive director Pierre Weiss said the rare step followed the dissolution of the federation by the country's Minister of Sport, Yahia Guidoum, in September.

The governing body had asked Guidoum to reinstate the federation's officers, who had been suspended by the minister for four years. Instead, Guidoum set up a new federation last week.

"The IAAF council agreed that the decision of the minister to put in place an interim committee was totally unacceptable and has taken the rare step to suspend the Algerian Athletics Federation from the IAAF with immediate effect," the IAAF said.

The decision was taken during the first day of an IAAF Council meeting in Monaco on Monday.

In the 1970s, South Africa was banned because of its racist apartheid policies, and more recently, Afghanistan was banned during Taliban rule.