Russian Federation nominated eight weightlifters to compete in Rio but Tatiana Kashirina, who won a silver medal at the London Olympics in the women’s +75kg category, and Anastasiia Romanova were withdrawn due to previous anti-doping rule violations.
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But Bach and the IOC board remained upbeat following a final progress report by organizing committee chief Carlos Nuzman, including details of the opening ceremony at the Maracana stadium.
Morozov and Lobintsev are among seven Russians banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) last week after the order.
Whistleblower Yulia Stepanova, who helped expose state-backed doping in Russian sports and has fled the country, has asked again for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reassess her exclusion from the Rio Games.
“That’s treachery and cynicism of the highest grade and I think it highlights the crisis in world sports and the global Olympic movement”, Yeryomin said.
Russian weightlifters will not be allowed to compete at the Olympics after the International Weightlifting Federation elected to ban them from the upcoming Games.
More than 100 Russian athletes have been barred from the games so far – including the track and field team banned by the IAAF and more than 30 athletes excluded by other federations since the release of McLaren’s report.
“We’re going to have athletes in the final”.
The IOC decision not to suspend Russian Federation “is not zero tolerance for doping, but for ethics”, Stepanov added.
International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said the panel will rule on the Russians after judges from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) examines the Russian athletes put forward by the respective sports federations.
That was because of the decision by WADA that there was not enough information about how long meldonium takes to leave the body, and that athletes using it before it became illegal at the start of the year could not be punished.
A report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said there had been state-run doping, aided by the Russian secret service, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. On Friday, Australian athletes and staff had to be evacuated from their building after a small fire broke out in the basement. They returned safely after about 20 minutes.
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“We’re really hopeful”, said Gibson, describing Canada’s swim team as a great crop of young athletes who have a lot of potential. “The Brazilians will overwhelm all of us with their passion, with their joy of life, their great hospitality, and with their energy”.
