While the news out of Rio is not much chop with the zika virus, polluted waterways and uninhabitable accommodation, the Rio Games may ultimately be remembered as the Olympics in which a country that doped its athletes was allowed to compete, and most likely win.
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Athletics’ governing body the IAAF has imposed a blanket ban on all Russian athletes for the Olympics, but the International Olympic Commission refused to follow suit, instead handing the power over to each individual sport.
A Russian whistleblower who helped uncover the biggest doping scandal in decades has told Reuters that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is more concerned about protecting the organisation than ridding world sport of drugs cheats.
Germany’s Olympic discus champion Robert Harting has launched a stinging attack on International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, describing him as part of the problem in the fight against doping.
It confirmed that four Russian boats (LM4-, LW2x, M8+ and W8+) would be withdrawn from participation in the Games and reallocated to the next placing crews at the 2016 final Olympic qualification regatta in Lucerne.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that such a punishment amounted to double jeopardy.
Here is the current state of play among the 28 Olympic sports.
EQUESTRIAN – Five Russian athletes are set to compete at Rio with a decision is yet to be taken by the global federation.
The federation lists Russian President Vladimir Putin, a judo blackbelt, as its honorary president.
“The decision, handed down by FISA today, is an incredible boost for Australian women’s sweep rowing and women’s rowing in general”, chairman of Rowing Australia Rob Scott said.
The worldwide volleyball federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
” ASOIF regrets the way the Russian case has been treated by important voices, both inside and outside the Olympic movement, which have attempted to give priority to media exposure and political influence while disrespecting the existing roles and responsibilities and disregarding the timing and impact on the preparation of the Rio Games”, it said.
“No Russian archery athlete has received an adverse analytical finding”, it said, adding it would submit its findings to the IOC.
Podshivalov and Karabelshchikova are not eligible because of past doping offences for which they served suspensions in 2007 and 2008, FISA said.
“Others that have been covered up over the past years by the Russian sports authorities, they will compete as supposedly clean athletes”, the pair said in a joint BBC interview.
“Our Olympic Committee is holding discussions with the IOC on our behalf”.
HANDBALL – The International Handball Federation has announced that it is conducting out-of competition tests on the Russian women’s team participating at the Rio Games.
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Many ex-Soviet countries conducted few tests in 2014, the last year for which worldwide figures are available, with just two tests all year in Ukraine.
