The governing bodies of amateur boxing and gymnastics have said that they "will toe the line drawn by the IOC and make individual rulings on the eligibility of Russian athletes for next month's Rio Olympic Games," according to the LONDON TIMES. The IOC on Sunday "opted against a blanket ban" on Russia for running a state-sponsored doping program, and asked each sport to vet their own proposed Russian competitors. Russia qualified 11 boxers for Rio, including Vitaly Dunaytsev and Evgeny Tishchenko, the world champions. AIBA said in a statement, "We are reviewing and analyzing, on a case basis, the anti-doping record of the 11 Russian boxers currently qualified for Rio 2016. This information and the decision of AIBA in respect of the athlete's eligibility will be submitted to the IOC for confirmation in due course." The Int'l Gymnastics Federation (FIG) also said it will "fully adhere" to the IOC's ruling. An FIG statement said, "The FIG will -- as soon as possible -- establish the 'Pool of Russian eligible athletes' ... and will have it verified as requested ... then forward it to all concerned parties." The Int'l Tennis Federation has already said that "the Russian players nominated for Rio have been subject to a total of 205 drugs tests since 2014, and will be allowed to play." Cycling's world governing body, the UCI, may follow suit, with Brian Cookson, its president, saying it would be "difficult for us to ban an entire team." Weightlifting will most likely "issue a blanket ban on Russian competitors in Rio following a significant number of confirmed positive doping tests" (LONDON TIMES, 7/25).
SIGH OF RELIEF: In London, Alec Luhn wrote the IOC’s decision not to ban Russia from the Rio Games was met "with relief and jubilation but also lingering anger over state-sponsored doping allegations that are viewed as a political attack on the country." Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said, "We’re grateful to the IOC for allowing Russian athletes into the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro." But speaking to the Rossiya 24 TV channel Mutko complained about the committee’s decision to ban those Russian athletes who have tested positive for performance-enhancing substances "even though we know dozens of athletes from well-known countries who will compete at Rio with just such a history." Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov called the IOC announcement a "compromise decision" made under "colossal pressure." He said that rather than enjoying the presumption of innocence Russian athletes "will now have to prove they are clean." World champion modern pentathlete Alexander Lesun said the decision was "not a victory, it’s even a little loss." Media coverage of the decision "was nearly euphoric at points." Ilya Trifanov, correspondent for the state channel Match TV, told viewers from Lausanne, "We’re going to the Olympics! There is no total ban on our team, I congratulate all of you!" (GUARDIAN, 7/25). The AP reported the Int'l Swimming Federation (FINA) "ruled seven Russian swimmers ineligible to compete at the Olympics, including three it says were linked to recent allegations of a major doping cover-up by Russian authorities" (AP, 7/25). The AP also reported World Archery approved the entry of three Russian archers for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after determining they "have no links to doping." The archery federation said that it is satisfied that the three female Russian archers nominated for the Games had been tested "extensively" and have never been sanctioned for doping. They "are listed as Tuiana Dashidorzhieva, Ksenia Perova and Inna Stepanova" (AP, 7/25).
