Two female weightlifters – Tatiana Kashirina and Anastasiia Romanova – were withdrawn by the Russian federation for earlier doping offences.
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While many insisted to the contrary, spectators reported a strong sense of defiance and opposition against the decision to ban Russian athletes from the Olympics.
After the World Anti-Doping Agency accused the Russian government of directing a vast doping cover-up, the International Olympic Committee said it would not allow Russians to compete in Rio if they had previously been banned for doping, were implicated in the alleged cover-up or had not been tested often enough internationally.
The IWF said some of the Russian competitors had been named in a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency which exposed evidence of state-backed cheating in Russia, Xinhua news agency reported.
Individual decisions on Russian athletes will be taken by relevant global federations.
Athletes from China’s Olympic team were met with flag-waving supporters at Rio de Janeiro’s airport on Thursday ahead of next week’s Olympic Games.
The 31st Summer Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro from August 5 through 21.
Rio’s preparations, meanwhile, remain clouded on several fronts, including budget cuts, raw sewage that pollutes the sites of rowing, sailing, canoeing, open water swimming and triathlon, slow ticket sales, and concerns over crime and the Zika virus.
Sports reported that Russia’s eight weightlifting spots will offered to other countries. They returned safely after about 20 minutes. “The Brazilians will overwhelm all of us with their passion, with their joy of life, their great hospitality, and with their energy”.
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The proposed sports – backed by the executive board and to be voted on as a package – would add 18 events and 474 athletes to the program. The Ministry of Sports has set up a special commission that investigates circumstances mentioned in the report.
