The four-times world champion was handed a lifeline on Thursday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld her appeal against her ban from the Games, whose preparations have been overshadowed by revelations of widespread state-sponsored doping in Russian Federation.
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FISA, however, ruled that Karabelshikova was ineligible because she did not meet IOC conditions for “reliable adequate global tests”.
A Court of Arbitration for Sport might have opened the door for Russians with doping sanctions to compete in Rio, but one will be noticeably absent – whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova.
The International Olympic Committee confirmed the number in a statement issued in the evening.
The International Olympic Committee announced the go-ahead for 271 Russian athletes about 24 hours before the opening ceremony of the games.
However, an all-inclusive list of the 118 Russian competitors banned from competing in Rio has not been made public.
The Stepanovas said they understood that the IOC had discretion to invite anyone it chose to the Games and, having been cleared by the International Association of Athletics Federations, had been hoping to be in Rio. The clearance includes the Beach Volleyball Team, TASS reported.
The rule was part of the stricter eligibility criteria set up by the IOC in the wake of McLaren’s report, which accused the Russian sports ministry of orchestrating a doping program that involved athletes in more than two dozen summer and winter Olympic sports.
He was among the 84 members who approved the IOC executive committee’s call to allow individual sports to determine which Russians could compete. “Rio is proud to be the Olympic capital of the world”, Nuzman said.
Last-minute appeals by banned Russians have turned the build-up into a legal obstacle course, creating uncertainty for the athletes and for their rivals.
WADA spokesperson, Ben Nichols, told CNN Wednesday, meanwhile, that his organization had been consistent in recommending an all-out ban that was supported widely by governments, athletes and the public.
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CNN’s Steve Almasy, Joseph Netto, Radina Gigova and Marilia Brocchetto conributed to this report.
