The IOC on Sunday resisted calls for a blanket ban on Russians competing in next month’s Games due to the country’s doping record, leaving decisions on individual athletes’ participation with their sports federations.
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The committee, known by its initials I-O-C, will leave it up to the worldwide governing bodies of individual sports to decide if Russian athletes are clean and eligible to compete.
The IOC said that the Russian Olympic Committee may not enter any athlete implicated in the WADA report or any athlete for the Olympic Games in Rio who has ever been sanctioned for doping, even if he or she has served the sanction.
The IOC’s president Thomas Bach said that the decision balanced “the desire and need for collective responsibility” with “the right to individual justice for every individual athlete”.
Tygart said many athletes and whistleblowers had the courage to confront the culture of state-supported doping in Russian Federation.
Russia’s tennis team will be allowed to compete at the Rio Olympics this summer after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) backed the decision not to impose a blanket ban on the country’s competitors.
The 200m butterfly swimmer has expressed his disappointment labelling the decision “an absolute cop out from the IOC”, and is urging athletes not to share the podium with any Russian medallists.
It also rejected the application by Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova, the 800-metre runner and former doper who helped expose the doping scandal in her homeland, to compete under a neutral flag at the games.
Ley’s comments contrasted with Australian Olympic team chef de mission Kitty Chiller, who endorsed the IOC move.
The IOC’s decision comes less than two weeks before the Rio Games open on 5 August.
The key issue was whether the extent of the cheating in Russian Federation gave the International Olympic Committee grounds to punish athletes with no positive drug tests on their record.
He also questioned why the International Olympic Committee had not allowed Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova to run as an independent athlete in Rio.
“Beyond Rio the IAAF Taskforce will continue to work with Russia to establish a clean safe environment for its athletes so that its federation and team can return to worldwide recognition and competition”. “We are grateful to the International Olympic Committee for such a decision”, said Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.
British four-time Olympic rowing champion Matthew Pinsent said the IOC had “hospital passed” the decision to global federations, adding: “What a cop-out”.
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In November a year ago, According to the World Anty Dope Organization (WADA) report, Russian Athletes were taking Drugs.
