It will also point to the other sanctions – an accreditation ban on Russian sports ministry staff and a “freeze” on staging major events in Russia – that remain in place on a provisional basis until the end of the year.
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The Russian Olympic Committee had submitted an original entry list of 389 athletes but that has been significantly reduced by 118 after worldwide federations were asked, by the IOC, to individually assess the anti-doping record of each Russian athlete. Because of the extent of Russia’s doping program, athletes had to prove their innocence rather than the burden of proof falling to the IOC.
On July 24, 2016, the IOC Executive Board issued criteria for the participation of Russian athletes in the Summer Olympics.
Appeals by some athletes are expected, even after the games begin.
The IOC’s choices in disciplining Russian Federation have been controversial, and are likely to fuel debate for months to come, as an overhaul of the anti-doping system is anticipated.
The IOC chose not to impose a blanket ban on all Russian athletes at a meeting in July, but directed sports federations to allow them to compete if they met a set of criteria, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at worldwide events.
“For clean athletes, I think the situation in Rio is tough to watch”, said Travis Tygart, head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
The IOC said in a statement: “271 athletes will form the team entered by the Russian National Olympic Committee (ROC) from the original entry list of 389 athletes”.
“No athletes from any country. had the rules changed to bar those previously guilty of doping”.
“We undertook a proposed comprehensive reanalysis programme ever with regard to the Olympic Games 2008 and 2012”, he said.
Instead, the International Olympic Committee reversed the basic principle of presuming athletes innocent until proven guilty.
Those instructions were not necessarily interpreted uniformly, with some ratifying all Russian athletes within hours, as tennis did, and others deliberating for the last week and seeking further guidance.
Russian Federation will have “the cleanest team” at Rio 2016, claims the country’s Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov.
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Bach also defended the IOC’s decision not to take the “nuclear option” of issuing a blanket ban on Russian athletes at the Games, stating that would be unfair to clean athletes within the country. “It’s a good question”, he said, shrugging as he guessed.
