Referring to Russia’s ban at the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that individual international sporting federations were free to decide which athletes will be competing at the Games.
Advertisement
The IOC’s executive board met this weekend to assess final preparations in the host city and also rule on the process for approving Russian athletes put forward by their sports’ worldwide federations (IFs).
Approximately 100 team Australian team members have been evacuated from the Olympic Games’ village on Friday, as a fire spread throughout the accommodation. Two of those nominations, Ms. Tatiana Kashirina’s and Ms. Anastasiia Romanova, were withdrawn due to prior anti-doping rule violations.
“(…) we would like to highlight the extremely shocking and disappointing statistics regarding the Russian weightlifters”, the document said. Those Games were overshadowed by the widespread use of doping, however, with no less than 10 weightlifters returning positive tests, according to Reuters (via Sky Sports).
They will be looking to check no athlete with previous doping convictions or who was implicated in the McLaren Report was selected, or if there is any other reason why they should not compete.
“The hurdles that those Russian athletes who have been cleared to compete, the hurdles that they had to jump to be here are very strict and very high”.
Mutko on August 1 will present to Unesco a report on doping, where he will comment on the work of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The criteria states that only if they have not previously failed a drugs test and can prove they are clean and not associated with the country’s doping regime are Russian athletes eligible to take part in the Games.
The IOC has said any Russian athlete with a doping past, including Stepanova, would not be allowed to compete in Rio as it tightened controls following the fallout from the doping scandal involving their country.
When asked today why Bach had felt the need to respond to these comments, but not the frequent dismissals of the McLaren Report by Russian officials, Adams suggested this was because he “had not been asked”.
Wada criticized the International Olympic Committee for the move.
In fact, non-Olympic sponsors can’t even re-tweet or share social media messages from athletes during the blackout period, again at risk of getting the athlete into hot water with the powers that see.
United States anti-doping boss Travis Tygart accused the International Olympic Committee of deterring future whistleblowers and of refusing to take decisive leadership and blasted their non-decision a “a significant blow to the rights of clean athletes”.
“When you get a chance to protect the integrity of what you are all about, [and] you chose not to do it.that is to me, a colossal failure and a passing of the buck”, said Russell.
The IWF Executive Board confirmed that the Russian Weightlifting Federation and Russian weightlifters brought the weightlifting sport into disrepute. But sadly, the decorated Russian athlete will not be featuring at the Games.
Advertisement
All athletes beneficiating from this last minute Reallocation were tested in the Qualification Period and are subject to further testing before participation.
