A picture taken on November 18, 2015 shows the glass window displaying the Olympic Rings at the Russian Olympic Committee building in Moscow.
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Anti-doping officials from 10 nations and 20 athlete groups are reportedly planning to ask that Russian Federation be banned from the Rio Olympics entirely.
Russian Federation Deputy Sports Minister Yury Nagornykh at that time also denied a doping program.
Tygart said in a statement the International Olympic Committee must be stern in its response to Russian Federation should the McLaren report be damning.
The extraordinary request could be issued as early as Monday, the New York Times reports, and is in response to explosive allegations from earlier this year that claimed the country ran a state-sponsored doping program.
In the meantime, Tygart says in his draft letter that McLaren’s probe has confirmed the state has been patronizing the system of doping in Russian Federation.
“I have to question on what authority the US and Canadian anti-doping agencies prepared their letter and what mandate they have to lead an global call for a ban of another nation in the Olympic family”.
“And it must be the same outcome for the Russian contingent at the Paralympics in September”. “And it must be the same effect for the Russian contingent at the Paralympics in September”.
In the draft letter addressed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which will be sent once the report into Sochi led by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren is presented on Monday, United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart calls for a ban on all Russian athletes, not just in track and field.
“The IOC has no choice but to suspend or ban the national Olympic committee of Russia”, Paul Melia, chief executive of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, said.
“My concern is that there seems to have been an attempt to agree an outcome before any evidence has been presented”.
“Such interference and calls ahead of the McLaren Report publication are totally against internationally recognised fair legal process and may have completely undermined the integrity and therefore the credibility of this important report”.
“It is clear from the email and letter that both the independence and the confidentiality of the report have been compromised”, he said.
“Any proposal for a blanket Russian ban would cause a major split within the IOC”, the global federation president commented to Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity.
Despite Hickey’s comments, some European countries are known to support a ban.
IOC President Thomas Bach said last month that individual Russian track and field athletes assessed as clean would be able to compete for their country in Brazil.
That’s what happened in June when the IOC, acting on the findings of systemic doping in Russian track and field, ruled no Russian athletes in any sport could compete in Rio unless their sport’s worldwide federation determines they are clean and eligible.
On July 3, Russia’s Olympic Committee and 68 Russian athletes filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Lausanne to challenge the IAAF’s decision to bar them from participation in the Olympic Games.
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That would mean no Russian athletes in any sport under the Russian flag in Rio. The IAAF that received 136 applications from Russian athletes seeking exceptional eligibility to compete in an individual capacity, has allowed only Russian long jumper Darya Klishina to compete at worldwide tournaments as an independent athlete.
