A "storm of outrage greeted" the IOC refusal to impose a blanket ban on Russia for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro over its "rampant, state-organized doping," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. The IOC instead "passed the buck to individual sports to decide which athletes should be allowed to compete, a decision which is expected to see scores if not hundreds of Russians take part in Rio." Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that "he now expected to see the majority of the 387-strong team in Rio, with only the track and field team missing after their compete ban from international athletics." Matthew Pinsent, an Olympic champion rower at four Games, described the IOC’s decision as "a cop out" and a "hospital pass." James Cracknell, who won two Gold Medals with Pinsent, said the IOC had "bottled it" and that it was a "bad day" for Olympic sport. Travis Tygart, the head of the USA’s anti-doping agency and the man who exposed cyclist Lance Armstrong’s cheating in the Tour de France, said that "the IOC had failed to show decisive leadership." Tygart: "It is so frustrating that in this incredibly important moment they would pass the baton to sports federations who may lack the expertise or collective will to appropriately address the situation. The conflict of interest is glaring" (LONDON TIMES, 7/24).
DECISION TIME: In London, Ben Bloom wrote the sport’s governing bodies "now have less than two weeks to decide whether to follow track and field’s lead in booting Russia out of the Rio Olympics" or allowing it to compete.
The decision provoked "anger worldwide" after more than a dozen anti-doping authorities -- including the World Anti-Doping Agency -- had called for Russia to be kicked out of the Rio Games. Gymnastics and equestrian "are thought to be two sports that are amenable to having Russians compete in Rio after they were not directly implicated in the shocking report." Other sports -- such as weightlifting, wrestling and canoeing -- "were revealed to have large numbers of Russian athletes with positive doping tests covered up and are likely to take a stronger view." Mutko was quick to say on Sunday that he was grateful to the IOC "for not imposing a blanket ban on Russia competing at the Rio Olympics." Mutko said that "he hoped the majority international sports federations would now support the rights of Russian sportspeople hoping to compete at the Games in August." Richard McLaren, the author of the report that detailed the scope of Russia’s state-sponsored doping, said that "he is convinced that the country is determined to clean up its act." He said, "It is a very difficult thing to do when you have such a widespread system and it will take some time, but I think they are genuine in saying that they want to reform" (TELEGRAPH, 7/24). In London, Sean Ingle wrote the Russian Olympic Committee "will not be allowed to enter any athletes for the Olympic Games in Rio who has ever been sanctioned for doping, moreover, even if he or she has served the sanction" (GUARDIAN, 7/24).
TESTING PROGRAM: In London, Sam Morshead wrote a group of 15 board members, headed by IOC President Thomas Bach -- a former Olympic fencing Gold Medalist -- "were involved in the decision-making process." According to reports in Russia, Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov, who is not on the board, "was also invited to take part in the session." Should any athlete pass the criteria, "they will only be allowed to take part if their case is upheld by an arbitrator, who must be independent from any sports organisation involved in this summer's Games." On top of that, the IOC will apply an out-of-competition testing program in coordination "with the athlete's sporting federation and WADA." If an athlete does not make themselves available for this program "their accreditation will be immediately withdrawn" (DAILY MAIL, 7/24). Bach said, "We have set the bar to the limit by establishing a number of very strict criteria which every Russian athlete will have to fulfill if he or she wants to participate in the Olympic Games Rio 2016. I think in this way, we have balanced on the one hand, the desire and need for collective responsibility versus the right to individual justice of every individual athlete" (BBC, 7/24).
LEVEL PLAYING FIELD: In London, Mary O'Connor wrote British Paralympic world record-holder Richard Whitehead has called for the Int'l Paralympic Committee to suspend Russian Paralympic athletes from Rio, stating that a "strong stance needs to be set" against drugs cheats.
The IPC suspended the National Paralympic Committee of Russia on Friday, "following the publication of the McLaren Report last week, which revealed the extent of state-sponsored doping in the country." McLaren also provided the IPC with the names of the para-athletes associated with the 35 "disappearing positive samples" from the Moscow laboratory highlighted in the report.
The Nottingham-born athlete, who won a Gold Medal at the London 2012 Games, said that "decisive action needed to be taken against the endemic culture of doping in athletics." He said, "We want to participate on a level playing field with everybody else" (LONDON TIMES, 7/24).
