Russia escapes ban from all Olympic sports

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not ban all Russian athletes, but left it up to each sports federation to decide.

Contrary to what some newspapers reported early on July 24, Russia has not received a blanket ban from the IOC. However, Russian athletes, if they want to participate in the Olympics, will have to meet very strict standards.

Any Russian athlete who tests positive for a banned substance will be disqualified from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In addition, sports federations will investigate and decide whether Russian athletes competing in their sports have shown signs of cheating.

"We have set a limit by setting very strict standards that every Russian athlete must meet if he or she wants to participate in the 2016 Olympics. I think this is a reasonable way to balance both sides, on the one hand the desire and the need to carry out the shared responsibility, and on the other hand the individual equality of each athlete," said IOC President Thomas Bach.

The IOC will not ban Russian athletes from competing in the Olympics, but will increase inspection and monitoring to eliminate the risk of Russian athletes involved in doping participating in Rio de Janeiro this summer.

The meeting and the warning to Russia stemmed from a report by Dr. Richard McLaren, part of an independent investigation team set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr. McLaren provided evidence that Russian athletes used state-sponsored doping from 2011 to 2015.

WADA President Craig Reedie called on the IOC to reject all applications from Russian athletes to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics, hinting at more horrific stories yet to be revealed.

The IOC also decided to bar Yulia Stepanova from participating in the 2016 Olympics as an independent athlete, despite her role as an informant in the investigation into the Russian doping scandal. Stepanova had previously tested positive for banned substances and did not meet the IOC's ethical standards.

A few days ago, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the appeal of the Russian Athletics Federation. Therefore, currently, athletics is the only sport that Russia is banned from participating in the 2016 Olympics.

According to VNE