CAS has overruled the IOC’s decision that Russian athletes, who have served a doping sanction, will not be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games in Rio.
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At least 271 Russian athletes have been cleared to take part in the Rio Games after clearing doping investigations, Russian Olympic Committee chief Alexander Zhukov has said.
Having rejected calls from athletes’ groups and the anti-doping community for a blanket ban for Russia, IOC president Thomas Bach has repeatedly had to defend his compromise between collective responsibility for Russia’s flagrant cheating and each athletes’ right to justice.
RIO DE JANEIRO Russian breaststroker Yulia Efimova said on Friday she would take part in the Rio Olympics, a day after winning an appeal against a doping ban, but there was no immediate confirmation from swimming’s governing body FINA.
Stepanova’s evidence helped expose state-backed doping in Russian sport and she has since fled the country.
Russia’s track and field team had already been suspended in separate action by the sport’s governing body, the IAAF, following similar revelations of state-backed doping past year.
A major revamping of the Olympic’s anti-doping system will likely be the next issue the global sporting community will wrestle.
The country’s track-and-field athletes and weightlifters have already been banned over doping offences, and Russian Federation narrowly avoided a complete ban over allegations its government and FSB security service systematically covered up widespread cheating.
Ukraine’s sports minister on Friday banned his Olympic team from talking to the Russian media while in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Games.
The German, who became International Olympic Committee president in 2013, claimed that by allowing Russian athletes to compete at the Games they would act as an example to others.
Despite drugs investigations which have robbed Russian Federation of almost a third of its original team, the mood in the camp was bullish on the eve of the Rio Games’ gala opening.
We’ll update this post if appeals change anything. Only one athlete, US -based long jumper Darya Klishina, was cleared by the IAAF because she had been regularly tested outside Russian Federation. “I think this tense atmosphere has done us some good”.
“On top of all that, Russian athletes are going through additional testing which is taking place at the Olympic Village”.
“With this respect for individual justice we can also send a very clear message to clean athletes and to those in Russian Federation in particular”, he said. “We of course accept their judgement”, a brief statement said.
Despite an attack led by Barcelona striker Neymar and talented youngsters Gabriel Jesus and Gabigol, Brazil was not able to find the net at the packed Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia.
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In Rio, Portugal defeated two-time Olympic champion Argentina 2-0 and Honduras edged Algeria 3-2 in Group D action.
