Olympic Committee approves 271 Russians for Rio after scandal

Dressed in blue blazers and sarees, the best sports athletes of India were all smiles, waving flags as they walked during the Opening ceremony of Rio 2016.

“We believe that the IOC’s focus on Yuliya’s past sanction for doping shifts the spotlight away from the real issue, which is that the IOC took no action against Russian Federation for punishing Yuliya for being a credible whistle-blower by refusing to put her on Russia’s Olympic team”, the Stepanovs said. At the same time, it advised the relevant worldwide federations to ban those athletes that had earlier been disqualified for doping, as well as those mentioned in McLaren’s report.

“We have good news for the fans of the Russian Olympic team”, he said.

Ultimately, Russia got off rather lightly. Only one athlete, US -based long jumper Darya Klishina, was cleared by the IAAF because she had been regularly tested outside Russian Federation. Other sports with zero Russian players: weightlifting and rowing. Swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev received permission to participate in the Olympics practically at the very last moment before they begin.

Russian sportspeople will be at the Olympic Games in Rio in numbers, after escaping a blanket ban.

It’s not the first time CAS has struck down an International Olympic Committee anti-doping measure.

The four-times world champion was handed a lifeline on Thursday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld her appeal against her ban from the Games, whose preparations have been overshadowed by revelations of widespread state-sponsored doping in Russian Federation.

Bach meanwhile said the first Olympic Games staged in South America had helped transform Rio de Janeiro, despite the failure to deliver certain infrastructure promises and a pledge to clean up the city’s heavily polluted Guanabara Bay. Some have already been taken away because of doping offences however. Earlier CAS, which has set up two branches in Rio, passed a similar ruling on the rowers Ivan Podshivalov and Anastasia Karabelshchikova. Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov came forward after he anxious about his well being after a report named him as the chemist behind the enhanced body chemistry of Russian athletes.

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams told The Associated Press: “We respect CAS and will of course follow their decision”.