Athletics: Coe happy with Putin’s doping pledge

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe addresses a press conference following a two-day IAAF council meeting on December 1, 2016 in Monaco.

IAAF president Sebastian Coe says he is "encouraged" by Russian President Vladimir Putin's pledge to establish an independent anti-doping system in the country.

Russia's athletics team and Paralympics squad were banned from last year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of state-sponsored doping in the country.

Coe said Putin's comments on Wednesday represented "a large step in the right direction" towards getting Russian athletes readmitted to international competitions. "You have to be encouraged by that observation and it's very important," Coe told BBC Radio 4 on Thursday.