Commonwealth Games gold medallist and two-time Olympian Moss Burmester has encouraged all athletes to take a stand against the International Olympic Committee’s decision to not put a blanket ban on Russian Federation for the Rio Olympics.
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Olympic leaders stopped short of imposing a blanket ban on Russia, allowing individual sports federations to decide who could compete.
Yulia Stepanova, the Russian whistleblower who exposed the doping crisis will not be allowed to compete in Rio as a neutral athlete, said International Olympic Committee in a statement.
Russia’s gymnastics team – the first group of Russian athletes to arrive in Rio for the Games – are already training in Brazil, coach Valentina Rodionenko told R-Sport news agency, saying that “the worst is behind us”.
“The IOC, in their weak decision (not to ban the entire Russian team from Rio 2016) have handed an opportunity to Fina for them to regain some credibility”.
Radcliffe said: “While I applaud no athlete going to the Games who has previously served a doping suspension – this can not fairly be only Russian athletes”.
Bach said the International Olympic Committee had decided instead on a set of “very tough criteria” that could dent Russia’s overall contingent and medal hopes in Rio, where the Olympics will open on August 5.
The ROC has already approved a 387-member team for Rio, while Russian authorities said the country continues to prepare for the Rio 2016 and would protect the legitimate interests of Russian athletes.
Evidence of widespread doping in Russian track and field was provided by 800-meter runner Stepanova, who hoped to compete in Rio as an independent athlete.
The IPC’s move followed the damning World Anti-Doping Agency report released last week revealing Russia’s systematic, state-backed drug cheating from 2011-15.
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko – a key player in the WADA report who has been banned from Rio – hailed the IOC’s “objective” decision.
“This may not please everybody, but this result is one which is respecting the rules of justice and all the clean athletes all over the world”, he said. “We did not want to penalize athletes who are clean with a collective ban and, therefore, keeping them out of the Games”.
But Tygart voiced the feelings of many when he said: “The decision to refuse her entry is incomprehensible and will undoubtedly deter whistle-blowers from coming forward”.
Russian media praised the decision not to allow whistleblower Yulia Stepanova, who exposed mass doping in athletics, to compete at Rio.
He issued a strong plea against a full ban.
It has already started suspension proceedings against Russian Federation following the McLaren report.
– ruled that Russian athletes who are cleared for the games will be subjected to a “rigorous additional out-of-competition testing program”.
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The IOC also reiterated its “serious concerns” about the weaknesses in the fight against doping, and called on WADA to “fully review their anti-doping systems”.
