The stadium was closer to capacity for the second match at the same venue later Wednesday, when hosts Brazil, led by Marta, made their bow against China.
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Russian cross-country skier Alexander Legkov (center) leaps into the air as he is announced as the gold medal victor for the men’s 50km race at the 2014 Winter Olympics on February 23, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
The women’s football tournament launches what Brazilian fans hope will be a golden campaign for their men’s and women’s teams, who have never won an Olympic title.
A whistle-blower had approached WADA in early 2010 about Russia’s doping program, and the agency did nothing.
“I think it’s not the reputation of the International Olympic Committee that has to be restored, it’s the reputation of WADA”, he said.
The IOC is calling for a more robust and efficient anti-doping system, he added. “This requires clear responsibilities, more transparency, more independence and better worldwide harmonization”.
Israeli member Alex Gilady echoed that feeling.
“We ve had this problem for how many Olympics now – it seems nearly every time there s something that comes up”.
Reedie said he was “personally offended” by Werthein’s comments, revealing that he confronted the Argentinian. “The IOC has no authority to follow up on information about the failings of the testing system”.
“I urge you to resist this unprecedented pressure that is now on the entire Olympic movement and not to let this pressure to split the entire Olympic family”, he said.
Individual sports’ governing bodies must decide if competitors are clean and more than 250 Russian athletes have so far been cleared to compete.
Russian canoeist Andrey Kraytor has also appealed against his ban by the International Canoe Federation but his case has already gone to the IOC panel, so any CAS decision may become moot.
But the International Olympic Committee has come under fire for not imposing a blanket ban on Russian athletes, despite the report revealing systematic state-backed doping in the country.
World Sailing has reversed its decision to axe Russia’s Pavel Sozykin from Rio 2016 based upon new guidance provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The 62-year-old German, however, was unable to answer the simple question of how many Russian athletes have been approved to compete at the Games, despite the opening ceremony being only a day away.
The rowers, along with several other Russian athletes from other sports, had their appeals heard by CAS on Tuesday (local time) and Inside the Games reported that the Court upheld the principle of athletes being ruled ineligible if they can not effectively “prove they are clean”. The Court of Arbitration for Sport was expected to issue a ruling later Tuesday over whether Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev would be able to compete.
This follows a previous decision by World Sailing which confirmed the participation of six athletes from Russian Federation for Rio 2016 but denied eligibility to Sozykin.
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“It is not the IOC which can be held responsible for all alleged corruption between the leadership of an global federation and a national member federation to cover up doing”, said Bach. It has now registered 18 procedures since its opening on July 26, setting a new record of cases for one Olympic Games.
