Rowing’s global governing body FISA announced on Tuesday that 22 of 28 Russian rowers have been banned from competing in the Rio Games, based on criteria fixed by the worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) over state-sponsored doping in Russia.
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In addition to the ban on Russia’s entire track and field team over doping, seven swimmers, two weightlifters, a wrestler and three rowers have all also been barred.
Today’s decision was based on the reliability of athlete’s global doping samples linked to Richard McLaren’s WADA report, which detailing state-directed doping on a grand scale from 2011 to 2015.
Athletics’ governing body the IAAF has imposed a blanket ban on all Russian athletes for the Olympics, but the International Olympic Commission refused to follow suit, instead handing the power over to each individual sport.
Wada president Sir Craig Reedie said he was “disappointed” with that decision.
Just 10 days before the Games the International Judo Federation (IJF) has cleared Russian judokas to go for gold.
“The topic of the recent International Olympic Committee ruling relating to Russian athletes was raised ahead of Putin’s planned meeting tomorrow with the Russian Olympic team”, Peskov was quoted as saying.
“The effect of this decision is that Russia has six remaining eligible rowers – one lightweight and five open weight men – for competition in Rio 2016”, the federation said.
The International Judo Federation says it has approved Russia’s judo team to compete at the Olympics.
Russian Federation won only one bronze medal in the shooting at London 2012 but claimed three golds, a silver and a bronze in judo.
World Sailing blocked the eligibility of Pavel Sozykin, an athlete in the two-man 470 class who was implicated in the McLaren report, but Russian Federation will be allowed to call up a reserve.
The International Handball Federation has written to the Russian federation to ask for the whereabouts of the women’s team to enable immediate testing, while boxing and gymnastics are among those who have told Press Association Sport they are assessing matters.
Federations are required to examine the drug-testing history of Russian Olympic athletes, and to check if they were implicated in the alleged doping cover-up involving government officials.
However, it also said neither she nor any Russian athlete with a doping past would be eligible for the Games.
The other six athletes on the Russian team were approved. “I felt like, ‘Are you trying to buy us?'” he said.
Five canoeists including a gold medalist and a five-time world champion became the latest Russian competitors to be banned from next month’s Rio Olympics after an explosive report revealed state-run doping across Russian sport.
Early on Tuesday, wrestling’s governing body, United World Wrestling, said it had requested more information and evidence regarding wrestlers said to be involved in “disappearing positive tests”.
Kustov had been entered for the Russian team, with Frolov as a reserve, and both will now be excluded, the UIPM says.
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Archery, equestrian and tennis were quick out of the blocks in confirming the eligibility of the Russian entries.
