The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has ruled out a total ban
for Russian federation athletes. The decision follows a report in
which Canadian law professor Richard McLaren said Russia operated a
state-sponsored doping
programme from 2011 to 2015. Russia who appealed the decision which was
upheld on Thursday by the Court of
Arbitration for Sport has escaped a ban.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA),
who produced a report by Richard McLaren
into state-sponsored doping,
recommended a total ban on all Russian
athletes.
How the Russian doping allegations
unfolded
December 2014: A German TV documentary
alleges as many as 99% of Russian athletes are
guilty of doping. Wada announces an
independent commission to investigate the
allegations.
9 November 2015: Russia should be banned
from athletics completion and were guilty of
state-sponsored, systemic doping practices,
says Wada's independent commission.
13 November 2015: IAAF provisionally
suspends Russia's athletics federation from
international competition.
27 June 2016: 67 Russian athletes appeal
against their bans from this summer's Rio
Olympics to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(Cas).
18 July 2016: Wada's McLaren report claims
Russia operated a state-sponsored doping
programme for four years across the "vast
majority" of summer and winter Olympic
sports.
21 July 2016: Cas rejects the appeal of
Russian athletes who attempted to overturn
their suspension from this summer's Olympics.

With regards to these the IOC Executive Board today had to take a
very difficult decision considering both timing and the content
because the qualification procedure
and the entry procedure for Rio is well
underway. In fact the first athletes are
already in the Olympic village. The difficult task today was now to
take positions about individuals, to
take decisions about the individual
athlete and how this is affecting each
and every one of them.
In this context we had once again to
parent the collective responsibility as a
concept and the individual justice to
reach every human being and every
athlete is entitled to. We have reversed
presumption of innocence for the
Russian athletes in this way making
them assume collective responsibility
for what has happened according to the
McLaren report.
On the other hand, natural justice
requires that an individual must at least
have the chance to rebut these
allegations and this reversal of
presumption of innocence and therefore
we have set the bar to the limit by
establishing a number of very strict
criteria which every year Russian
athletes will have to fulfill if he or she
wants to participate in the Olympic
Games 2016.
– IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH
Russian has responded with jubilation - but
the reaction among UK athletics has been
almost universally condemning as the two-time gold medallist Sharron Davies
said it appeared the sports body had
"learned absolutely nothing" from previous
doping scandals.

Similarly, the Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said he is
grateful for the IOC's decision but said that doping is a world
problem not
just a Russian problem.
He added that the IOC criteria are tough for
Russian athlets to take part in the Rio Games.
Some 387 Russian athletes wish to
compete in the Olympic Games in Rio de
Janeiro starting on August 5.

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