International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach led a chorus of criticism of the World Anti-Doping Agency overnight, distancing the Olympic body from the Russian controversy.
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Russian Federation has criticized the movement to ban its athletes as being politically motivated.
The gloves are off between the parents of a might mess in anti-doping: Olympic bosses, the ma and pa of the World Anti-Doping Agency has stood up in court, shouted “nothing to do with us” and then placed its child in the dock with a a slap to boot.
“If we get great sport here, I hope that will restore whatever confidence was lost”.
“The IOC is calling for a more robust and efficient anti-doping system”.
The ruling on the eve of the games starting August 5 came as the Olympic committee announced that 271 of Russia’s 389 Olympic athletes were cleared to participate, including all 20 Russian gymnasts.
This means is still unknown how big Russia’s team will be, despite the Games starting on Friday.
“The failure to investigate serious and credible allegations more swiftly has left the sports movement.in a very hard position facing incredibly hard decisions in an impossible timeframe”, said Argentina’s International Olympic Committee member Gerardo Werthein.
“On top of all that, Russian athletes are going through additional testing which is taking place at the Olympic village”.
The doping claims, though, aren’t limited to the Sochi games.
A number of Russian athletes were also banned from swimming, rowing and canoeing, although there was no blanket ban on competitors from the country in these sports.
Moscow, though, has vigorously denied running an athlete drugging program. “Natural justice does not allow us to deprive a human being of the right to prove their innocence”.
Bach insisted that athletes can not be punished for the wrongdoing of their government. “These principles are now being implemented”.
Bach said the uncovering of Russian Federation s widespread doping had shown up deficiencies in the system run by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
“That process is now complete and confirmation has been received from the IOC Review Panel”, the statement added.
More than 100 Russian athletes, including the track and field team, are reported to have been banned from the Games.
“If you are clean, you are respected and rewarded”.
“Athletes such as Yelena Isinbayeva. are absolutely clean”, he said.
Bach received the backing of the International Olympic Committee members at the session in Rio for the executive board’s decision that was taken last month.
The IOC and the World Anti-Doping Agency clashed again Tuesday over the allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russian Federation that have rattled the Olympic movement and created chaos ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony in Rio.
The appeals of Yulia Efimova, a London bronze medalist, and Daria Ustinova were still pending, with Efimova’s case being heard yesterday.
“This challenge is addressed not to Russian Federation, it is addressed to the whole Olympic family”.
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Nearly 80 Russian athletes from seven sports were cleared to compete just one day before the opening ceremony.
