He said it would be tragic if any of the 250-plus Russians awaiting a final green light from the IOC after being cleared to compete by the worldwide federations, were now sent home.
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The respective governing bodies of athletics and weightlifting, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Weightlifting Federation, had already decided that no Russian athletes will take part in their sports during the Games.
“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.
Alexander Zhukov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee, blasted “discrimination” against athletes who have been banned as a result of the McLaren report, despite not failing drugs tests.
The Russian weightlifting federation has sought to overturn its suspension by the International Weightlifting Federation over the doping. The entire track and field team of the country had earlier been banned after the scandal hit the headlines.
Thomas Bach is adamant the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made the correct decision in not imposing a blanket ban on Russian athletes at Rio 2016 and has called for a “full review” of the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA).
“I believe it’s very unfair that such athletes like Yelena Isinbayeva and Sergei Shubenkov, without any doping history, absolutely clean, can not participate in the Olympics, however many athletes including American runners like for example (Justin) Gatlin and Tyson (Gay), who were punished for doping many times, will take part in these Olympics”, he said.
“We had to follow the rules of justice and justice has to be independent from politics”, Bach said.
Gilady was referring to middle-distance runner Yulia Stepanova, who had written to WADA, repeatedly offering evidence of state-backed doping in Russian Federation, but ended up providing the information to German broadcaster ARD which produced several documentaries revealing the scandal.
“The basic and hard question we had to answer is – can you hold any athlete responsible for the wrongdoing of the government of his or her country?”
He says “we are deeply aware that compared to the Summer Games, holding the Winter Games will present many challenges such as natural conditions”.
“I can tell you during my many, many visits to the Olympic village here I have been looking into the eyes of many athletes”, he said. “It will be a great event for us”, Kazikov said. “We will not hesitate to issue further measures or sanctions”.
Bach said Tuesday it would have been a “nuclear option” to bar the entire Russian team and potentially exclude some athletes who had not cheated.
The news conference came after a three-day International Olympic Committee general assembly where Bach and many members slammed WADA for its handling of the Russian crisis. “While it is destabilising in the lead-up to the Games, it is obvious, given the seriousness of the revelations that McLaren uncovered, that they had to be published and acted upon without delay”, WADA president Craig Reedie said.
On Tuesday, Bach called for a “full review” of WADA and members lined up to criticise the body, before voting 84-1 in favour of the move to let Russian Federation compete in Rio.
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“This is a situation we do not want to happen ever again in sport”, he said.
