“We expect (to have) a decision within seven days on the participation of Russian competitors in Rio”, said International Olympic Committee media relations chief Emmanuelle Moreau on Wednesday. In a statement yesterday. the IOC said that they will “explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016”.
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It was decided by the executive board that disciplinary actions related to the involvement of officials within the Russian Ministry of Sports and other persons mentioned in the report due to violations of the Olympic Charter and WADA code would start immediately. The strategy has bought a few days’ breathing space, with the International Olympic Committee postponing any move to ban Russian Federation from Rio until the weekend at least. The IOC will take that ruling into account before making its own decision.
The McLaren investigation found evidence that Russia’s Sports Ministry and the Center for the Training of Russian National Teams and the Federal Security Service supported the doping programme in Russian sports.
Pells says even back then, she and others on the track were sick and exhausted of being beaten by what she calls “dirty” athletes, and she says it’s high-time a strong message is sent. “But, on the other hand, if you do take the tough line and walk the walk as well as talking the talk, I think a significant portion of the world would be very pleased”. Zhukov said he was hopeful of winning the appeal, adding that Russia’s plans for the Olympics assumed the track and field team would be allowed to compete.
“These boycotts just lead to a breakup of the Olympic movement”, he told the AP.
“Russia will not take part in boycotts”.
The Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, retaliating for the United States-led boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Some 387 athletes from across 30 sports were named in the Russian squad, which was published on the Olympic Committee’s website. The shocking behaviour exposed in Richard McLaren’s report is incompatible with the integrity of sport and the spirit, such as it is, of the Games.
Russia’s athletics team is already banned from Rio 2016 following a decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
This did not include Mutko himself, but did include his anti-doping advisor, Natalia Zhelanova.
A member of the Commission of the International Cycling Association on road races, Alexander Gusyatnikov, speaking with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, said that the International Olympic Committee would rather punish Russian Federation following the results of the WADA report, but not the removal from the Olympic Games in Rio.
This follows the findings of the McLaren report, which said urine samples of Russian competitors were manipulated across the “vast majority” of summer and winter Olympic sports from late 2011 to August 2015.
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Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday questioned the legitimacy of an McLaren report and the Russian Olympic Committee called for a more complete investigation into allegations of doping cover-ups.
