The Olympic Games

Russia may start in Rio

The Russian team will not be excluded in spite of the extensive Doping allegations completely from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The IOC leaves the decision to the individual associations.

So far a country due to a doping offense has never been completely excluded from the Olympic Games. And it stays that way: The International Olympic Committee opted for a compromise solution: It’s a hull team at the Games start. To be an athlete, be able to provide to their respective world associations the evidence, in the Russian state-run doping system involved have been allowed to start in Rio. “The IOC Executive faced a very difficult decision. We had to draw the consequences from the McLaren Report. We had to find the Balance between the overall responsibility and the right of the Individual to the athletes,” said IOC President Thomas Bach after the promulgation of the decision in a telephone conference: “Everyone must have the Chance to respond to the accusations, the presumption of innocence applies. Therefore we have designed strict criteria that must be met by each athlete, if he wants to participate in the Olympic Games.” The Russian athletes had already been excluded from the Games.

Decision of the IOC Executive Board concerning the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games Rio 2016 https://t.co/wfe08HKEqF

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) 24. July 2016

Since noon on Sunday, the IOC had discussed the matter final. The telephone conference meeting of the 15-member Executive Committee under the leadership of the President of Germany, Bach had begun to 12.00 noon (CEST). At 16 o’clock (CEST) there was then a telephone press conference with the announcement. Russian media had reported 45 minutes earlier. “The decision will certainly not appeal to everyone, but it is a matter of justice. The decision respects the right of every clean athletes around the world,” said Bach of the decision and added: “The message is clear. It is a total responsibility adopted in the face of the vile accusations, but it should also be an encouragement for all the clean athletes. You can be in the Russian sports as a model, if it is clean.”

Bach: “We have to protect clean athletes,”

The international summer sports federations are now to examine all the cases and then, in cooperation with the International sports court, CAS, what Russian athletes are allowed to compete in what sports. Athletes, which could already be demonstrated Doping, are from the start out. “In this sense, we protect the clean athletes, because we have laid down strict criteria for Russian athletes,” said Bach.

Russia’s sports Minister Vitaly Mutko revealed that most of the athletes at the rings-spectacle in Brazil. “The criteria are very hard, but I am convinced that most of the athletes you meet,” he said. “This is a legitimate solution,” said the head of the sports Committee in the Russian Parliament, Dmitry Swischtschjow. “But such decisions should not be taken only in relation to Russian athletes but to athletes all over the world. Then the Problem would be eradicated Doping completely,” he told the Agency Tass, in Moscow.

The state of doping proved

The last Monday published McLaren-Report of the world Anti-Doping Agency WADA had left the IOC actually no choice: He gave evidence for the state doping in Russian Sport far beyond athletics. Positive Doping controls of Russian athletes have been manipulated, therefore, with a System of the the national Ministry of sports had a minimum of knowledge.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had then in a hurry, the establishment of an Anti-Doping Committee until the 28. July announced, to be headed by long-time IOC member Vitaly Smirnov. Support of Russia’s head of state sought to, among other things,
Nobel peace prize winner, Mikhail Gorbachev, who turned in a letter to Bach.

The international doping hunters of the
World Anti-Doping Agency WADA had asked the IOC to a lock, without exception. 14 national agencies, including the German NADA were able to imagine a Complete exclusion, with the exception of permits. Also, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) responded to the McLaren Report, and the exclusion opened on Friday proceedings against the Russian national Association. Thus Russia threatens to Disabled athletes for the Paralympics in Rio (7. to 18. September).

Key witness Stepanova is not allowed to start

Julia Stepanova contributed to the enlightenment of the Russian state doping, but may not start also

The Russian may not easily get athletes to the Start, had decided to the International sports court CAS on Thursday: He showed the
Objection of 68 Russian athletes are competing against the lockout by the world Association IAAF. The Russian may be, however, long jumper
Darja Klischina who trained outside the Russian doping system in the United States. They benefited therefore from an exception the approval of the IAAF. The same IAAF permit had also received Whistleblower Yulia Stepanova, but the IOC refused their request to be allowed under the Olympic flag compete. You will not be fulfilled due to their Doping past in spite of their merits for enlightenment, the “ethical requirements”, the reason for the IOC on Sunday in Lausanne.

Positive Re-Testing

How desperate the Anti-Doping fight, it seems, is games by the recently published results of the second wave of follow-up examinations of samples from the Olympic summer 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London: another 45 people have been convicted, including 23 medal winners from Beijing and eight from London. Already in may it had given at the first follow-up examinations of 53 positive cases (30 Beijing, 23 London). Including Russian athletes were 22 (14/8).

og/ck (sid, dpa)