The Rio Games will mark the second straight Summer Olympics that the majority of the USA team’s delegation will be made up of women.
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Facing widespread criticism over the International Olympic Committee board’s decision not to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes from competing in Rio after doping allegations, Bach opened the meeting by putting the move to a vote by the organization’s members. WADA and many other anti-doping agencies had called for a complete ban after Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren issued a report that accused the Russian sports ministry of orchestrating a doping program that involved more than two dozen summer and winter Olympic sports.
Instead, it instructed the global federations of the sports represented at the Olympics to decide whether or not to ban Russian athletes from the Games.
The recently formed IOC Independent Panel lists three members only and they are: Ugur Erdener, the head of the IOC Medical Commission; Claudia Bokel, an IOC Executive Board Member and the Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission; and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, an IOC Executive Board Member.
Reedie also said the Russian revelations “shook the world to its shoelaces” and had put WADA and the International Olympic Committee, as well as many athletes, in a hard spot.
“The majority of the sports have been admitted in full”.
These include golfer Maria Verchenova, all 11 Russian judo athletes, 31 swimmers (including two who had previously been told they would be banned), all five equestrian athletes, all 30 Russian volleyballers, and all 11 Russian boxers being cleared to compete.
The country’s track-and-field athletes and weightlifters have already been barred over doping offences, and Russian Federation narrowly avoided a complete ban over allegations its government and FSB security service systematically covered up widespread cheating.
Russia, which narrowly avoided a complete ban from the Olympics following revelations of state-backed doping, had hoped to have between 272 and 280 athletes declared eligible for Rio after the International Olympic Committee review.
“So as of now, the Russian team is probably the cleanest in Rio”.
“What is not acceptable is the insinuation of some proponents of the blanket ban that those who do not share their opinions are not fighting against doping”, Bach said.
Bach said the doping system needed completely restructuring.
It saddens me to say this, but at times WADA has seemed to be more interested in publicity and self-promotion rather than doing its job as a regulator, Werthein said.
“Natural justice does not allow us to deprive a human being of the right to prove their innocence”, Bach said.
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Three days to go before the Games begin and Bach, having rejected the “nuclear option” on Russian sport, is facing incoming fire that may end up to be just as destructive as the Olympic Movement comes to terms with having tolerated state-run doping in Russia and pockets of problems the world over for far too long.
