Rio 2016: Russian athletes to find out their Rio fate amid calls for them all to be banned following allegations of state-sponsored doping
RUSSIAN athletes will find out their Rio fate today — amid calls for them all to be banned following allegations of state-sponsored doping.
The World Anti-Doping Agency set up an independent commission to investigate claims the Russian government was directly involved before the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Dr Richard McLaren led the probe after ex-director of Moscow’s Wada-accredited laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov, claimed he doped dozens of athletes, including at least 15 Sochi medallists.
He also alleges he acted with the Russian Ministry of Sport to dope athletes before London 2012, the World Athletics Championships a year later in Moscow and the 2015 World Swimming Championships in Kazan.
Currently, only Russian track and field athletes have a global ban.
The country has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the tribunal expected to conclude on Thursday.
A small number of Russian athletes who can prove they are ‘clean’ will be allowed to compete under the International Olympic Committee flag in Brazil next month.
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The Russian weight- lifting team is also facing the prospect of a ban from Rio after repeated anti-doping violations.
So far IOC president Thomas Bach has resisted calls for more extensive bans, maintaining the innocence of those not breaking anti-doping rules must be respected.
But the USA and Canada are leading calls for all Russian athletes to be banned from Rio.