Russian weightlifters banned for doping

Russians who might go to the Olympics next month would compete as neutral athletes or under their own flag, depending on who wins the power struggle between the track federation and Olympic officials.

CAS’ decision could allow other global federations or the IOC to take the same approach of banning the Russians in a sport or as a country but creating exceptions for athletes who could demonstrate their anti-doping record.

The Olympic leadership said it will also have to wait for a Court of Arbitration for Sports ruling on Thursday on an appeal by 68 Russian athletes against an IAAF ban.

That ban was imposed in November by the IAAF and upheld last month. In this respect, the IOC will have to take the CAS decision on July 21 concerning the IAAF rules into consideration, as well as the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Charter.

Doping was extensive: A report released Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren confirmed allegations of doping at the Sochi Olympics. Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko told the R-Sport news agency he had suspended his anti-doping advisor Natalia Zhelanova as well as Irina Rodionova, deputy head of Russia’s state-funded Sports Preparation Centre, and two other officials.

Athletics investigation paved way: An independent commission investigated Russian Federation in 2015, announcing in November that it had found extensive doping in track and field.

“It is important to focus on the need for individual justice in all these cases”. Athletes, anti-doping officials and WADA itself have called for a total ban of Russian Federation for the Rio Olympics.

Disciplinary action has already been taken by individuals named in the scandal, including officials from the Russian sports ministry and hearings are expected.

“It was a government-instituted programme and every doping test was scanned to make sure there wasn’t a positive – and if it happened to be a Russian athlete who had a positive test, it disappeared and it was replaced by a negative test”. Reedie, who is also an International Olympic Committee vice president, presented details of the McLaren report to the executive board Tuesday and answered questions about it, before Bach asked him to recuse himself from the meeting because of a “conflict of interest”. Russia’s lab in Moscow has also had it’s WADA accreditation pulled until the corruption could be eradicated.

While putting off a decision on banning Russia, the executive board announced a series of measures to punish Russian athletes and officials implicated in doping.

– Set up a commission to carry out a “full inquiry” into all of the Russian athletes who competed in Sochi, along with their coaches, officials and support staff.

– Called on all global winter sports federations to “freeze” their plans for holding major events in Russia, including world championships and World Cups, and seek alternative venues in other countries.

“There may or may not be clean Russian athletes, but if you look at the McLaren report it is pretty clear it was endemic”, Pound said.