Earlier the world athletics governing body International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) voted unanimously and maintained a ban on Russian athletes which was imposed after a state-sponsored doping scandal. Russia’s field and track team have been prohibited from participating in this summer’s Rio Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) summit has backed the IAAF decision to uphold ban on the Russia athlets.
The decision was reached following the conclusion of a profound doping conspiracy after a meeting of the IAAF council was held on Friday afternoon in Vienna. The global governing body for field and track announced that Russia did not meet the criteria that were laid down in November for a readmission and has failed to restore the integrity of its athletes.
It is expected that those Russian athletes will appeal to the court who were not tested positive for a banned substance and argue that it is wrong to punish all the athletes for the wrong doings by some.
IOC vice-president John Coates raised his voice in support of the ban on Russian athletes put by IAAF and sought that they should not be allowed to take part in the Rio Olympics. He told The Guardian, “We will look at the next step for us. The debate next Tuesday will be on the issue of individual justice and rights. I’m president of Cas, I would think there would be appeal opportunities, I would imagine for someone who can establish their individual integrity.”
Also read: Russia's Isinbayeva to go to court over IAAF ban - TASS
Referring Russian anti-doping agency and athletics body as organisations which are rotten to the core, he added, “It may be that our meeting next week will set some guidelines for the international federations who again would have the task of deciding if there’s any individual within a federation that they’ve put out who ought to be allowed in, what hurdles that person would need to have to jump.
“My guess is they’d have to establish they were regularly tested outside of Russia by an anti-doping authority and the samples were analysed outside of Russia on a regular basis.”
The IOC discussed the decision on today in Lausanne and a meeting of leaders from the ultimate authority over the Games, International sports federations and national Olympic and anti-doping bodies considered “whether and if individual athletes should be given individual justice”. Tthe officials came to a final decision ruling against Russia and it’s an unprecedented punishment in the history of Olympics.
Russian field and track athletes were suspended from any kind of international competition after the release of a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Since country’s track and field authorities did not raise their voice against the suspension when they were given an opportunity in November, to trust them for the Games now is difficult.
