The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has supported the ruling of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to bar Russian athletes from the Rio Olympic Games, the FIG press service said on Monday.
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“The seven Russian tennis players who have been nominated to compete in Rio have been subject to a rigorous anti-doping testing programme outside Russia”, the ITF said in a statement.
Russian athletes who want to take part in the events will have to meet strict criteria set by the IOC.
The official explanation for just why came from IOC President Thomas Bach, who said it would be unfair to ban all Russians when it has not been proven that all of them cheat.
The International Olympic Committee’s executive board made a decision to let individual sports federations decide which Russians should be eligible, following allegations of state-sponsored cheating by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren.
“They’re going to have to consider all the reasons taken into account”.
The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) is calling for Russian Federation to be banned from the Rio Paralympics for systemic doping.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the World Anti-Doping Agency is disappointed that Olympics leaders have rejected their plea to ban Russian Federation completely. “It’s unfair that Russian Federation had to answer for it”. This is supposed to be the pinnacle competition in the world and that they’re taking it seriously. But he said that the latest investigation was “not ideal”, as it had been conducted too quickly and that not all key figures were questioned.
One athlete who may consider fighting the “double punishment” is Russian 800m runner Yuliya Stepanova, who was one of only two Russians to be cleared to compete by the IAAF but now finds herself banned again by the IOC.
Joseph de Pencier, chief executive of the 59-Member Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations, said Sunday was ” a sad day for clean sport”.
And 800-meter runner Yuliya Stepanova, along with her husband, provided evidence of widespread doping in track and field to the IOC.
Tygart added: “The decision to refuse her entry in to the Games is incomprehensible and will undoubtedly deter whistleblowers in the future from coming forward”.
Was it now more likely the IPC would follow the IOC’s lead?
Bach accepted that the decision “might not please everybody”.
So now you have swimmers who will have to wonder in Rio how they can beat a Russian in the next lane.
All three have previously served a doping ban. Mr. Gatlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He cheered Russian athletes in arenas and in the mountains, and celebrated with them as they added to the host country’s medal haul.
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Olympic 400m bronze medallist Katharine Merry tweeted: ”IOC are useless… like I said last week. what EXACTLY would a country have to do to get a blanket ban?”
