He also said there was a “deliberate campaign” launched to target Russian athletes, which was “characterized by so-called double standards and opted for the idea of collective responsibility, which is not compatible with sport, justice in general, or the basic norms of law”.
Advertisement
Putin said Russians excelled in the face of adversity.
Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin insists the banning of his nation’s competitors will devalue the achievements of medal-winning athletes at next month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
On the one hand, declaring a ban on all Russian athletes from the 2016 Rio Olympics would have been the logical move.
The International Association of Athletics Federation imposed a total ban in November, which was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week.
Russia’s Olympic team could number more than 200 after fencing, triathlon and volleyball became the latest sports to declare the country’s athletes eligible for Rio.
Putin said a decision by global sporting organisations to ban Russian track-and-field athletes and sportspeople in everything from swimming to rowing flew in the face of common sense and legality.
Long jumper Darya Klishina is the only athlete to have been cleared to participate in Rio as a neutral athlete.
Bach fired back that the decision to leave individual sports federations to decide which Russians could compete “respects the right of every clean athlete around the world”, noting that would-be Russian Olympians must clear “the highest hurdles” to make the Games.
On Tuesday, world rowing federation FISA said Russian boats in four categories, including the women’s eights, were being withdrawn following the strict anti-doping criteria announced by the International Olympic Committee after allegations of widespread doping and cover-ups in Russia.
The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) added that it has sent a list of Russian volleyball and beach volleyball participants to the IOC and CAS for approval.
The Russian doping scandal was brought to the world’s attention by the German documentary in 2014, which detailed accounts of athletes, coaches, and officials who admitted that government officials have been helping competitors get access to performance-enhancing drugs, said the New York Times. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes has taken a big hop backward in what was interpreted as his jibe over sending kangaroos to an Australian team upset about their unprepared Olympic accommodations.
Advertisement
The build-up to the Games has been marked by concerns over a budget crisis in Rio de Janeiro, sparked by Brazil’s worst recession since the 1930s, as well as an outbreak of the Zika virus, and a political crisis that has seen suspended President Dilma Rousseff placed on trial in the Senate. “At least 70 athletes (are scheduled to go)”, it said.
