The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday it will “explore the legal options” regarding a ban of all Russian athletes for the Rio Olympics this summer.
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Any IOC decisions may not be definitive, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport is scheduled to rule on Thursday on Russia’s appeal against the IAAF ban on its track and field athletes from competing in Rio.
However, the group has “started disciplinary actions related to the involvement of officials within the Russian ministry of sports and other persons mentioned in the report because of violations of the Olympic Charter and the World Anti-Doping Code”.
Because the Sochi Games are so tainted, the IOC said it would not give backing to any global sports events in Russian Federation.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended on Monday that Russian Federation be excluded from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this summer after a new WADA investigation found Russia’s sports ministry, helped by the F.S.B. security service, had created a system for letting dozens of athletes compete dirty, in particular at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
A damning report released Monday by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) described a rampant system of “state-dictated” doping overseen by Russia’s sports ministry to help the country cheat its way to success.
The head of track and field in Europe says profound changes are required in Russian Federation before sports events can “confidently welcome” competitors from the doping-tarnished nation. There will be mounting pressure for that to be extended, even though Bach and some global federations have called for a way for Russian athletes proved to be clean to compete in Rio. DNA analysis also confirmed three samples where the DNA did not match that of the athlete, the report says.
Although the ultimate decision was put on ice the International Olympic Committee executive board has started disciplinary action against those implicated in the McLaren report and Russian sports ministry staff are barred from Rio.
However, the International Olympic Committee reiterated a provision it put forth last month that removed the presumption of innocence from Russian athletes who want to compete at the Olympics.
His deputy Yury Nagornykh – a sports bureaucrat who was allegedly the ministry’s pointman for covering up doping test failures – and four other officials have been suspended.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, the International Olympic Committee banned Russian officials whose names appeared in the report from traveling to the Rio Olympics.
Rodchenkov, now living in the United States, had told how Russian secret service agents helped the operation to get Russian samples away from global inspectors at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
– Called on all worldwide winter sports federations to “freeze” their plans for holding major events in Russia, including world championships and World Cups, and seek alternative venues in other countries.
Rodchenkov is now in hiding in the United States and wanted by Russian authorities.
At a time when relations between Russian Federation and the West over Ukraine have collapsed, Mutko has played up suspicions in Moscow that sport has been caught up in a new Cold War as well.
“If WADA allegations at least partially prove to be true, the officials at all levels, regardless of their past achievements should be brought to justice”, Peskov said.
He added that banning the national team from the Games would also be disrespectful to those sportsmen who achieved highest results in a fair and just competition.
All global Olympic winter sports federations have been asked by the IOC to “freeze” their preparations for major events in Russia, such as World Championships, World Cups or other major worldwide competitions under their responsibility, and to “actively look for alternative organisers”.
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McLaren also claimed it was “inconceivable” Mutko was not aware of the programme, while his now suspended deputy Yuri Nagornykh was found to have ordered the collection of clean urine samples.
