Dealing with allegations of widespread and state-controlled doping in Russia made in a report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren on July 18, the International Olympic Committee six days later refrained from imposing a blanket ban set and left individual federations to determine the eligibility of Russians for Rio, subject to strict criteria.
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The CAS decision could force other federations, who were asked by the International Olympic Committee to recommend which Russians could compete, to reconsider their lists.
The Panel lists three members and they are: Ugur Erdener, the head of the IOC Medical Commission; Claudia Bokel, an IOC Executive Board Member and the Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission; and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., an IOC Executive Board Member.
Speaking at a news conference in Rio, Zhukov said: “Not one team underwent such strict requirements as Russian athletes, no athletes from any country. had the rules changed to bar those previously guilty of doping”.
“We believe that the IOC’s focus on Yuliya’s past sanction for doping shifts the spotlight away from the real issue, which is that the IOC took no action against Russian Federation for punishing Yuliya for being a credible whistle-blower by refusing to put her on Russia’s Olympic team”, the Stepanovs said. Nearly all athletes are in a full complement virtually in all kind of sports.
Russian Federation had originally nominated 389 athletes for Rio, but the whole athletics team of 67 and the weightlifting team of 18 were suspended earlier.
Hundreds of Russian athletes watched Thursday night as their national flag was raised finally on a pole at the Olympic village, joining the flags of the other 205 nations.
This supports an earlier Cas decision – known as the Osaka rule – which established athletes could not be punished twice for the same doping offence.
Earlier CAS, which has set up two branches in Rio, passed a similar ruling on the rowers Ivan Podshivalov and Anastasia Karabelshchikova.
The issue has dominated the build-up to the Rio Games in the wake of Professor Richard McLaren’s damning Wada-commissioned report into systemic state-sponsored doping across the majority of Olympic sports. We say that not so much out of concern for the results of the Games themselves, which are bound to provide the usual portion of thrills, chills – and accusations of various transgressions by participants and officials.
One of the athletes who could take advantage of the new ruling is whistleblower Yulia Stepanova who, together with her husband, ignited the Russian doping scandal by revealing the extent of the state-backed doping programme.
A three-person International Olympic Committee panel makes the final decision for giving clearance to the athletes after recommendations were sent by their respective sports federations. “You had to flee from your homes because of violence, hunger or just because you were different”, Bach said. This is destroying justice. Sometimes we like the decisions, sometimes not, but we always respect them.
Despite an attack led by Barcelona striker Neymar and talented youngsters Gabriel Jesus and Gabigol, Brazil was not able to find the net at the packed Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia.
In the other Group A match in Brasilia, Iraq and Denmark also played to a scoreless draw, leaving all four teams tied.
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In the jungle city of Manaus, Colombia and Sweden drew 2-2 in Group B.
