Two Russian swimmers filed an appeal Saturday against their exclusion from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, claiming the ban is “invalid” and “unenforceable”.
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The International Weightlifting Federation issued the ban on Friday for what it called “extremely shocking” results that brought the sport into “disrepute”. It said the punishment was an “appropriate sanction” to “preserve the status of the sport”.
The Australians and at least eight other Olympic teams complained this week about their accommodations in the athletes’ village, citing plumbing leaks, electrical faults and dirty conditions.
Besides 67 track and field athletes banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) over revelations of a state-run doping scheme, dozens more have been told not to compete in Brazil, including swimmers, rowers, and wrestlers.
The IOC has been roundly criticized by anti-doping bodies, athletes groups and Western media for not imposing a total ban on Russian Federation.
Referring to Russia’s ban at the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that individual international sporting federations were free to decide which athletes will be competing at the Games. Hartfield finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic trials earlier this month and was next in line for a spot because he had reached a qualifying standard earlier in the year.
“I am sure that in a justice-driven system I have full right to take part in the Olympic Games”.
“They are doing their job and it’s important I stick to mine, focus on getting ready and winning those gold medals”.
Says Isinbayeva: “The miracle didn’t happen”.
Russian Rowing Federation head Veniamin But tells The Associated Press by telephone that he plans to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport next week to try to overturn the ruling from World Rowing.
World Rowing has barred 19 Russians, most for insufficient tests.
Nikita Lobintsev took a silver medal in the 4×200 m freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2012 Olympics in London.
About 117 Russian competitors from the 387 initially put forward by the Russian Olympic Committee have now been banned from the Games.
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“The hurdles that those Russian athletes who have been cleared to compete, the hurdles that they had to jump to be here are very strict and very high”.
