With five days to go before the Games open there is still huge uncertainty about which Russian athletes will be able to compete in Rio.
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The separate appeals of four Russian weightlifters against their International Weightlifting Federation-imposed bans and three Russian cyclists against their international federation have not been scheduled yet.
As a result, WADA suggested that the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and all international sports federations ban Russian athletes from all international sports competitions, including Rio 2016.
“No. And this is for very obvious reasons”, he replied.
More than 250 Russian athletes have so far been cleared to compete.
Officials face a challenge with so many cases to adjudicate before the opening ceremony next Friday. Some have filed appeals against their bans.
Past and future IOC Athletes’ Commission chairs Claudia Bokel of Germany and Angela Ruggiero of the U.S. also supported the IOC decision in principal.
“I trust the people realize the difficulties we are in, that they realize that it was not an easy decision to take, and that they realize we did our best to address this situation in a way which allows to protect all clean athletes all over the world”, he added.
They had already previously banned three rowers who had served doping bans or who had been named in the McLaren report for WADA that exposed Russia’s “disappearing positives” regime.
The IOC’s ruling executive board, meeting Saturday for the final time before the opening of the games next Friday, said the panel will decide on the entry of Russian athletes whose names have been forwarded to compete by their global sports federations and approved by an independent arbitrator.
“Of course the negative opinions are most likely to be quoted”, he said. He also questioned why WADA had accredited the Moscow and Sochi doping labs at the center of the scandal.
The Russian sports persons in different categories remained hopeful of being able to participate in the Olympics with other great athletes in the world.
McLaren’s investigation has been extended so he can identify athletes and others involved in state-backed doping and cover-ups.
“We’re working on a very, very tight timeline”, Adams said.
But the German leader of the Olympic movement said there had to be “justice” for athletes who are clean.
“Addressing corruption within the anti-doping system – including state or secret service interference in laboratory operations – will be one of the topics discussed” during a WADA conference in September, the agency said. It’s an attack on the Olympic Games and it’s an attack on our values.
From the Russian side, president Vladimir Putin, minister of sport Vitaly Mutko and International Olympic Committee member and new Russian anti-doping head Vitaly Smirnov have all pooh-poohed allegations of state sponsored doping, calling them politically motivated lies.
“You can not punish a human being for the failures of his or her government if he or she is not implicated”. “Is it possible to take an athlete and say, ‘Because your government has done something wrong, you automatically are out?’ This would not be justifiable, neither on a moral ground, not to speak on a legal ground”.
“This decision was endorsed by WADA’s Executive Committee and WADA’s Athlete Committee”.
“It was not easy”, he said.
“Rio de Janeiro would not be where it is today, without the Olympic Games as a catalyst”.
Bach also gave an upbeat assessment of Rio’s readiness for the games.
In terms of general preparations for the Games Bach said: “It’s all coming together”.
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Late on Tuesday, Brazilian police used tear gas against demonstrators trying to obstruct the tour of the Olympic flame in a Rio de Janeiro suburb.
