Absence of Russian stars hurts Olympic Games: Putin
Bach confident Rio will solve problems before Oly
MOSCOW, July 27, (Agencies): President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the absence of top Russian competitors will “markedly lower” next month’s Rio Games, as he met competitors set for Brazil and those barred over state-run doping.
Over 100 Russians have so far been banned from the Games, including track and field stars Yelena Isinbayeva and Sergey Shubenkov, who were among those meeting Putin at the Kremlin.
Two-time gold medallist pole vaulter Isinbayeva was seen breaking down in tears.
“It’s obvious that the absence of Russian competitors — leaders in many disciplines — markedly lowers, and will lower the intensity of the fight and that means the spectacle at the upcoming events,” Putin said in a speech.
“The other sportsmen understand that the quality of their medals will be different.”
Putin blasted a decision to exclude the Russian track and field team and some other athletes as political and said it goes
Four-time world breaststroke champion Yulia Efimova also plans to appeal her ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The IOC has received praise from Moscow but stinging criticism from elsewhere for failing to impose a total ban on Russia over shocking evidence of a stateorganised system to cheat its way to glory in Olympic and world sport.
Germany’s Olympic discus champion Robert Harting verbally attacked IOC president Thomas Bach, calling his compatriot “part of the doping system, not the anti-doping system”.
Bach fired back that the decision to leave individual sports federations to decide which Russians could compete “respects the right of every clean athlete around the world,” noting that would-be Russian Olympians must clear “the highest hurdles” to make the Games.
The head of the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday played down problems with unfinished accommodation at the Olympics Village in Rio de Janeiro, saying he expected Brazil would host a “fantastic” games.
Arriving in the coastal city ahead of the first Olympics to be held in South America, which start on Aug. 5, Thomas Bach said every host city experienced last-minute issues with preparations.
“The last couple of days before the Olympics Games there is always one issue or other to be solved. The Brazilians will solve it,” Bach told reporters on arrival.
“You can already feel the Olympic energy here ... so we are looking forward to a great Games and, as you know, we always had confidence in Brazil, in the Brazilians, that it will be a fantastic Olympic Games.”
The build-up to the Games has been marked by concerns over a budget crisis in Rio de Janeiro, sparked by Brazil’s worst recession since the 1930s, as well as an outbreak of the Zika virus, and a political crisis that has seen suspended President Dilma Rousseff placed on trial in the Senate.
Concern over Rio de Janeiro’s preparations erupted on Sunday when the Australian delegation said it would not stay in the Olympic Village, as the housing was “not safe or ready” amid problems with leaky plumbing, blocked toilets and exposed wires.