‘It is obvious that the absence of Russian sportspeople – leaders in many sporting disciplines – will significantly affect the intensity of the competition and diminish the spectator value of the forthcoming events, ‘ said Putin. However, to me it is odd and really sad when the fallout from a scandal affects others, and when sportsmen who have earned the chance to compete in the Olympics are not allowed to.
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An AFP journalist at the Kremlin said the athletes to meet Putin included banned track and field stars Yelena Isinbayeva, Sergey Shubenkov and Maria Kuchina, who are barred from competing next month in Rio.
If that cynicism spreads, the damage from the committee’s decision will endure long after the Olympic torch leaves Rio and hurt many beyond Russia’s Olympic team.
The Russian track and field team had already been barred from competing in Rio by the sport’s governing body, the IAAF.
Some 70 Russian competitors from the country’s depleted Olympics team flew out from Moscow for Rio on Thursday as sports federations whittled down the number of athletes allowed to take part.
The pole vaulter has been one of the most vocal critics of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) decision to ban Russian track and field athletes from international competition.
Instead of an outright ban on Russian participation, as the World Anti-Doping Agency had urged, the IOC will impose a convoluted case-by-case review of Russian athletes, carried out by the 28international federations that govern each Olympic sport.
Most of those sports have completed the process of individually vetting Russia’s team, with over 100 athletes from the initial 387 that were selected being declared ineligible.
“The teams are in general very happy, the athletes are happy, they like the food, they like the Olympic atmosphere and you can feel the excitement building up”. “I want you to know – we, there is no doubt in that, are proud of you and will do everything to defend your good name, sports reputation, dignity”.
During the service, Patriarch Kirill said he would pray to help the athletes “put aside these hard circumstances”, Russian news agencies reported.
Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), arrived at Rio International Airport early on Wednesday morning and he expected an Olympic Games full of passion and joy. These rulings must still be ratified by CAS.
Russian president Vladimir Putin denounced all of this evidence and reporting as a conspiracy.
While Russia avoided a blanket ban from the games at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee board on Sunday, the IOC imposed new restrictions on Russia.
A second WADA-funded report by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren published last Monday revealed even further, state-directed doping, this time encompassing nearly all Olympic and Paralympic sport in the country.
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Seeking the biggest possible audience, NBC has announced it will broadcast the Rio opening ceremony with a one-hour delay, starting at 8:00 pm Eastern US time (0000 GMT August 6).
