With just five days until the opening ceremony, and with Russian athletes having to traverse a convoluted three-step process – involving global sporting federations, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and a newly set up three-person IOC panel – to gain entry to the Games, Bach said the IOC faces a hard balance between punishment and protection.
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They are among seven Russian swimmers banned from Rio by FINA after an order by the International Olympic Committee to exclude any Russian competitors implicated in an independent investigation into Russia’s doping scandals.
Three IOC executive members have been named to make a final decision on which Russian athletes will compete in Rio once the individual federations have made their lists. “It won’t be damaging in the end”.
Bach said that further measures are to be taken after Rio and once McLaren has finalized his report.
USA anti-doping boss Travis Tygart accused the International Olympic Committee of deterring future whistleblowers and of refusing to take decisive leadership and blasted their non-decision as “a significant blow to the rights of clean athletes”.
“Of course the negative opinions are most likely to be quoted”, he said. “The IOC is not responsible for the fact that different information which was offered to WADA already a couple of years ago was not followed up”.
The 13 national anti-doping organisations, including those from the US, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan, had previously written to the IOC calling for an outright ban on athletes competing under the Russian flag, with provision for a Wada/IOC task force to decide whether any individual athletes should be able to compete as neutrals.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Saturday that he expected 266 athletes from his country to compete.
But Bach reiterated his position that it would be wrong to collectively sanction all Russian athletes because it would punish some who had no links to doping.
The Australian men’s basketball team have been buoyed by the return of star centre Andrew Bogut, who had his first hit out in more than six weeks in the Boomers’ 82-53 Olympic Games warm-up win against China.
Athletes, officials and the world media are arriving in Rio and on Saturday the crucial metroline to the Olympic venues in Barra from the popular beach district of Ipanema was formally opened in the presence of Brazil’s acting President, Michel Temer.
Athletes from other nations will get a chance to compete at Rio as a result, including Australia’s women’s eight rowing team.
It is set to review decisions taken by worldwide federations, in the wake of claims of state-backed doping.
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In terms of general preparations for the Games Bach said: “It’s all coming together”. The main topic was the presentation of the Rio Games.
