A "first batch of athletes suspected of having been part of a Russian doping ring at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games may soon be charged" by the IOC, the head of the investigation said on Friday, according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. IOC member Denis Oswald said that evidence gathered so far will be combined with results of tests to determine "whether urine and blood sample bottles had been tampered with, to replace positive samples with clean samples." Oswald added, "We feel we have found a number of elements to charge a certain number of athletes. In a few days we will have the results of the first batch of 50 bottles (determining whether or not they had been tampered with) and then we can proceed." Swiss Oswald, who did not say how many athletes could be involved, said that the first hearings would start in October. He added that his commission "could only ban athletes from the Olympics and not impose other sanctions." Oswald: "We can only disqualify athletes. We have been working closely with winter sports federations and they will be ready as soon as we have made our decision to go on with their own procedure" (REUTERS, 9/15).
SEVERAL HURDLES: Grohmann also reported weightlifting "will have to pass several hurdles to prove it is doping-free or it risks losing its established Olympic spot for the Paris 2024 Games," the IOC said. The IOC said in July that the Int'l Weightlifting Federation "needed to provide a satisfactory report by December on how it plans to tackle the problem of doping in the sport." It will now be monitored by the IOC and WADA "until both organizations are satisfied that changes have been made," the Olympic organization said. IOC President Thomas Bach said, "If weightlifting stays compliant with the WADA code then we proceed with this formula for Paris 2024. If it is declared non-compliant this will be a totally different situation" (REUTERS, 9/15).
