“What is more, the team is undergoing additional testing in the Olympic village”, Zhukov said. The court is tasked with mediating disputes involving the Olympics. Some competitions are already underway.
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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. First, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) banned them from the Games because they were mentioned in the WADA report, although the latter contained no evidence that they had actually been engaged in doping. The team escaped a blanket ban from Rio, but is facing a one-year suspension from worldwide competition.
The criteria were set by the IOC’s Executive Committee after the so-called McLaren report published in July documented an extensive system of state-supported doping in Russian Federation.
Critics had called for the entire team to be banned to show systematic cheating is unacceptable. The decision was in a way a victory for Russian Federation.
Russian Federation has already suffered the indignity of its entire track and field team being banned over unconfirmed reports that some athletes took part in a second state-sponsored doping scheme.
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.
Those advocating a total ban on Russia’s participation in the Games are discouraged by the verdict, which many consider a feckless International Olympic Committee response to a cheating scam coordinated through Moscow. There is no clarity with some rowers, but now they will be completely tested, ” R-Sport cites Zhukov as saying.
In deciding to leave the fates of Russian athletes up to the individual sports, rather than imposing a full ban, “The IOC knows there’s simply not enough time for the federations to make a determination”.
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.
“The result from the IOC Review Panel is as follows: 271 athletes will form the team entered by the Russian National Olympic Committee (ROC) from the original entry list of 389 athletes”, the IOC said in a press release. “When having to take such a decision, the allegations play a major role”, Bach said.
Any Russian who has served a doping ban will not be eligible for the Olympics.
Speaking Tuesday, Bach called for a complete overhaul of the anti-doping system. With no action being taken, Robertson said he finally told them to go the media.
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CNN’s Steve Almasy, Joseph Netto, Radina Gigova and Marilia Brocchetto conributed to this report.
