Addressing members of Russia’s Olympic team at the Kremlin, Putin said the scandal, which centers on allegations that the Russian government and FSB security service systematically covered up doping for years, had unfairly targeted many Russian sportspeople who had not faced specific and proven accusations.
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Executive Board decision to let International Federations decide which Russian athletes are able to compete at Rio 2016, rather than impose a blanket ban on all Russians.
The IFF says 197 tests taken from Russian athletes in 35 countries over the last two years were all negative.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Better late than never for the Australian women’s eights rowing team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, even if they’ll have to borrow a boat and oars.
Worldwide sports federations are now scrambling to vet Russian athletes as time ticks down to the start of the Games on August 5. Italy won the gold, Russian Federation took the silver and China got the bronze.
Russia’s track and field team – including Isinbayeva and Co. – was already banned from Rio over state-sponsored doping, but its Olympic Committee last week optimistically named a 387-strong squad for the Games.
On Wednesday, the International Triathlon Union gave the all-clear to the six Russian triathletes and the International Fencing Federation approved Russia’s 16-member fencing team.
But the IAAF firmly rejected his request to reconsider, saying: “The applications by 68 athletes for eligibility to compete in Rio were assessed carefully and on an individual basis by the IAAF doping review board, and only one of them was found to meet the criteria for exceptional eligibility”.
Rowing’s global federation FISA said those banned were not “considered to have participated in doping” but had not been tested enough times outside of Russia, where the anti-doping system has been proven to be corrupt.
“We will continue to closely follow the updates from the McLaren report, as well as recommendations from WADA and the International Olympic Committee on best practices in the fight against doping”.
The FIVB have also confirmed that both their men’s and women’s volleyball teams have been allowed to compete, along with their two men’s and one women’s beach volleyball pairings.
But they reassembled in Melbourne last weekend after the possibility of an Olympic call-up because of Russian athletes facing expulsion over doping.
The IOC passed the baton to each sport’s world governing federation to clear individual Russian competitors for next month’s Games, adding that the athletes must have a clean worldwide record on drug testing to be eligible to compete.
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Russian officials have expressed confidence that their entire boxing and rhythmic gymnastics teams will be allowed to compete but no official decision has yet been announced.
