“By stopping so many doped athletes from participating in Rio we are showing once more our determination to protect the integrity of the Olympic competitions, including the Rio anti-doping laboratory, so that the Olympic magic can unfold in Rio de Janeiro”.
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Russian track stars and swimmers are believed to be among competitors from 12 countries who failed recent tests on samples from the 2008 games.
“This was a very targeted test, and what pleases the International Olympic Committee with our zero-tolerance policy is that the testing is catching up”.
The worldwide body has said the provisional results from tests on 250 London samples will be known in about one week.
Coates said results of some 250 samples from London would come within the next week.
“Burson-Marsteller Europe is advising on a range of communications and media issues relating to Russia’s participation at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio”, said Catherine Sullivan, managing director of worldwide communications for the firm in NY.
Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Vesti FM radio that it would need to ask Grigory Rodchenkov about his claim that he switched tainted urine samples for clean ones at the lab used for the Sochi Games. Putin, in fact, said the investigation was welcomed.
Australian Olympic great Ian Thorpe described retrospective testing as “a great thing”.
Russia is already battling to get its track and field athletes back into the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) so that they can compete in the Rio Games.
Just as Russia’s track and field federation was suspended by the IAAF, some of the country’s winter sports bodies could be banned if allegations of state-supported doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics are proven, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Wednesday.
The statements came as USA federal prosecutors investigate the allegations of state-sponsored doping of Russian athletes.
With five months to go before the Rio Olympics, there are quite a few doping issues involving countries all over the globe.
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IOC chief Thomas Bach wrote in an op-ed to USA Today on May 17 that consequences could range from life-long Olympic bans for implicated people to financial sanctions and exclusion of the country athletic federations.
