There was good news for Russia on Friday when the Russian Taekwondo Union said it had received notification from the World Taekwondo Federation that all three of its entries could compete in Rio.
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NEWS BRIEF The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) banned Friday all Russian weightlifters from competing at the Rio Olympics, justifying its decision because of the widespread evidence of state-involved doping, and saying Russian weightlifters brought the sport “into disrepute”.
They needed to have been tested for drugs outside Russia and have a spotless doping record with no previous bans in order to be cleared by their respective global federations.
Stepanova’s hopes of running at the Olympics, which start next week, as an independent athlete where dashed when the International Olympic Committee ruled earlier this month that no Russian with a doping background could take part.
The IWF Executive Board carefully studied question of the participation of Russian weightlifters in the Olympic Games Rio.
“We need to accept that process, it was a strict, it was a fair process, and get on with it. Focus on our own lane, on our performance and focus on our own best result that we can possibly do”.
The entire lifting team risks being banned from the Rio Games because of the large number of failures in retests from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
To replace the eight Russian lifters in Rio, five countries were offered places in the men’s competition – Belarus, Croatia, El Salvador, Mongolia and Serbia.
UWW’s Special Commission also recommended that the International Olympic Committee tests the entire Russian wrestling team in Rio before the start of the competition.
IOC President Thomas Bach announced on Sunday that Russian athletes, with the exception of field and track competitors, were allowed to participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics based on individual approval of each respective global sports federation or association.
Besides 67 track and field athletes banned by the IAAF over revelations of a state-run doping scheme, dozens more have been told not to compete in Brazil, including swimmers, rowers, and wrestlers.
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“Pole Vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva will not compete”, he added, referring to the two-time Olympic champion who launched a public campaign to have her ban lifted, only to be denied.
