Vladimir Putin has condemned the decision by the world athletics’ governing body to uphold a ban on Russian Federation for systematic doping, thereby excluding its track and field competitors from this summer’s Rio Olympics.
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Russian athletes have been suspended from global track and field competition since November, after a report by a commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency made accusations of state-sponsored doping.
“I totally sympathise with all clean athletes suffering in this situation, but do feel that Russian track and field athletes were told repeatedly how their Olympic participation depended on them getting their state to acknowledge, react to and take accountability for the problems”.
The IAAF council also said that athletes who can “clearly and convincingly show that they are not tainted by the Russian system” should be able to apply to compete in global competition as an unaffiliated athlete, not under the Russian flag.
But Coe said the question of athletes’ eligibility to compete at the Olympics was “entirely a matter for the IAAF”.
On Friday, the IAAF opened a “tiny crack” that would allow any individual Russian athletes who have been untainted by doping and have been subjected to effective testing outside Russia to apply to compete in the games.
Russia’s sports ministry says it’s “extremely disappointed”.
“It shows that when you cheat, you will be punished and, unfortunately, I don’t think Russian sports officials thought they’d ever be punished”, he said.
An IOC Olympic Summit is expected to discuss the issue next Tuesday in Lausanne. To do so, they must prove they are clean and that they have been monitored by an anti-doping agency outside of their own country.
The country was suspended by the IAAF in November 2015, after an independent World Anti-Doping Association (Wada) report depicted a culture of widespread doping, with even the secret services involved. It urged the IOC to assess the consequences of banning Russia’s national team from the 2016 Olympic Games.
The world athletics governing body has upheld a ban on Russian athletes imposed in the wake of a state-sponsored doping scandal.
That report said hundreds of attempts to carry out drug tests on Russian athletes this year had been thwarted, with drug testers facing intimidation and threats from armed Russian security forces while athletes continued to evade doping control officers. “It’s an worldwide federation’s right to suspend a national federation and I don’t think we would overturn that at all”. So if the court decides Russian athletes should compete in Rio, then that is what will happen. Individual athletes will, however, be allowed to compete only if they are tested negative for any illegal drugs.
“This is a human rights violation”.
The commission accused certain athletes and sports officials of doping abuse and involvement in other activities related to violations of global regulations on performance enhancing substances.
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“If I compete, it will be as a Russian”, she wrote.
