Meanwhile, the International Modern Pentathlon Union named the two Russians it had suspended as Maxim Kustov and Ilya Frolov, saying they both featured in the McLaren report.
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected calls to impose a blanket ban on Russians competing at the Rio Games, which start on August 5, after the independent McLaren report found evidence of state-sponsored doping at the Sochi Olympics.
At least 105 athletes from the 387-strong Russian Olympic team announced last week have been barred from the Rio Games in connection with the country’s doping scandal.
“We can’t accept indiscriminate disqualification of our athletes with an absolutely clean doping history”, Putin said.
Over 100 Russians have so far been banned from the Games, including track and field stars Yelena Isinbayeva and Sergey Shubenkov, who were among those meeting Putin at the Kremlin.
As the athletes walked across Red Square to meet Putin, some posed for selfies with Vitaly Mutko, whose sports ministry was accused by the World Anti-Doping Agency of orchestrating the doping cover-up.
Long jumper Darya Klishina is the only athlete eligible to represent Russian Federation out of the 68 who were entered.
“The situation went beyond the legal field as well as common sense”, Putin told the audience, which included numerous banned athletes.
“This is a blow to the entire sporting world and to the Olympic Games”, he said.
The decision was discriminatory, amounted to a political campaign waged against Russian sportspeople and devalued any medals won in their absence, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said.
With the Rio Olympics fast approaching sports federations have precious little time to deal with Russian competitors, some of whom are already in Brazil.
“It’s obvious that the absence of Russian competitors – leaders in many disciplines – markedly lowers, and will lower the intensity of the fight and that means the spectacle at the upcoming events”, Putin said in a speech.
The FIE did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about whether WADA investigator Richard McLaren’s evidence was considered before deciding to allow Russian fencers to compete in Rio.
WADA’s most recent report compiled by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren detailed an elaborate doping system in Russian Federation directed by the sports ministry that affected more than 30 sports.
World Sailing said Pavel Sozykin, who had been due to race in the 470 class, would be excluded because he was mentioned in the McLaren report.
The ICF also said that Russian Federation would not be allowed to enter boats in four events in which the excluded athletes would have raced.
On Monday, swimming’s world governing body FINA ruled out seven Russians including reigning world 100m breaststroke champion Yulia Efimova.
“The ICF will continue its strong zero-tolerance stance and remove all athletes that contravene its rules in anyway”, said Simon Toulson, the International Canoe Federation’s general secretary.
Individual sports federations were given the task of deciding which athletes should be cleared to compete in Rio by the International Olympic Committee on Sunday.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach insisted the unprecedented eligibility criteria put in place for Russians had teeth, with the country’s athletes having to clear “the highest hurdles” before going to the Games, which start on August 5. Germany’s Olympic discus champion Robert Harting verbally attacked IOC president Thomas Bach, calling his compatriot “part of the doping system, not the anti-doping system”.
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Harris reported from London.
