Bach said the International Olympic Committee had decided instead on a set of “very tough criteria” that could dent Russia’s overall contingent and medal hopes in Rio, where the Olympics will open on August 5.
Advertisement
The International Olympic Committee has decided against a blanket ban on all Russians from the Rio Olympics, following allegations of a government-sponsored doping program. ROC honorary president Vitaly Smirnov, who is set to chair the new committee, told Russian publication Sports Express Monday that the IOC would have “faced many problems” if had they chose to ban Russia from Rio.
An IOC ethics commission also ruled that 800m runner Yuliya Stepanova, who turned whistleblower on doping in Russian athletics, could not go to Rio even as a neutral.
“The fight against doping in sport requires strong worldwide leadership, none more so in this case, where the integrity of an entire Olympic and Paralympic Games is at stake”.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said the International Olympic Committee had failed to show leadership with its decision.
The IAAF will not lift the ban on the Russian track and field team’s participation in the 2016 Olympics, its representative told TASS.
Earlier, Mikhail Butov, the Secretary General of the Russian Athletics Federation expressed his hope that the IAAF would review its decision following the International Olympic Committee ruling. It insisted that “the “presumption of innocence” can not be applied to them”.
But the Olympic leaders said “each affected athlete must be given the opportunity to rebut the applicability of collective responsibility in his or her individual case”.
The IOC’s decision yesterday, less than two weeks before the Rio Games opens on August 5, follows the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) call for a blanket ban in response to the independent McLaren report that found evidence of state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
“It was objective and taken in the interests of world sport and the unity of the Olympic family”.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who was heavily implicated in WADA’s most recent report on state-sponsored doping in the country, called the International Olympic Committee ruling “objective”.
The International Tennis Federation wasted no time in clearing the seven Russian players nominated for Rio.
Former Team GB marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, the world’s fastest at the distance, added: “A sad day for Clean Sport”.
The 35-year-old believes Russian Federation was simply too big and too powerful for the International Olympic Committee to go along with WADA’s call for a total ban, following the damning McLaren report.
Advertisement
“I do understand, however, it’s 10 days before the Games, and I must admit I was tempted to join them in keeping quiet, to only focus on my own performance and maintain positivity, but I feel too passionate about this”. The IOC said it would propose measures for more transparency and independence.
