Burmester blasts IOC’S soft stance

‘‘I think there needs to be a movement that’s started, in that every single time a clean athlete is on the dais with a Russian athlete, yes, they’ll accept the medal but they need to actually stand on the ground. Step down from the dais and not share the dais with any Russian athlete.’’ Former New Zealand swimmer Moss Burmester, left.

Former New Zealand swimmer Moss Burmester is demanding Kiwi athletes to step down from the dais in Rio in protest the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) soft stance on Russian athletes.

The IOC’S executive board decided against a blanket ban of Russia despite revelations last week of state-backed drug cheating by the sporting giant from 2011-15.

They have instead left the decisions up to individual sports through their international federations.

Two-time Olympian Burmester, a former 200m butterfly swimmer, who won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, slammed the IOC’S call, describing it as a ‘‘sell-out’’.

Burmester urged New Zealand medallists at the Olympics to step off the dais if they were sharing it with a Russian competitor.

‘‘The athletes almost need to take a stand,’’ Burmester told ONE News. ‘‘I think there needs to be a movement that’s started, in that every single time a clean athlete is on the dais with a Russian athlete, yes, they’ll accept the medal but they need to actually stand on the ground.

‘‘Step down from the dais and not share the dais with any Russian athlete.’’

Burmester said it was a dark day for clean athletes at the Olympics and the IOC’S attitude undermined efforts to stamp doping out of sport.

‘‘Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics. I think he’d be rolling in his grave.

‘‘The IOC needs to put their foot down. They need to say ‘This is serious’. This is supposed to be the pinnacle competition in the world and they’re not taking it seriously ... It’s a complete sell-out.’’

Leading Kiwi rower Eric Murray, a favourite to achieve back-toback golds in the men’s coxless pair with Hamish Bond in Rio, took to Twitter to vent his frustration.

Murray tweeted, ‘‘Hang on... Was there a typo in the press release? #IOC’’ in response to the IOC’S statement.

Burmester said the IOC were ‘‘making a joke of it’’ by allowing Russia to compete at the Games.

New Zealand Olympic Committee president Mike Stanley believed there was still enough time to ban Russian doping cheats from the Rio Games under the measures laid out by the IOC.

The complex banning system will run against a rapidly ticking clock with the Games set to start on August 5.

‘‘I imagine international federations are going through their records and looking at what they have on Russian athletes and will be doing due diligence on that. There would be a record,’’ Stanley said.

The IOC set out a series of requirements Russians must meet to gain accreditation.

No Russian athletes or officials implicated in last week’s explosive Wada report into the doping allegations would be accepted for entry or accreditation for the Games.

Any Russian athlete who had ever been sanctioned for doping would not be allowed to compete, regardless of whether they had served out their sanction period.

Stanley said New Zealand would be ready to fill any necessary quotas freed up by bans on Russian athletes.

The NZOC believed the IOC has ‘‘balanced individual justice with collective responsibility’’ and said ‘‘the decision sets a very high bar for Russian athletes to compete at Rio’’.

It was satisfied the IOC had considered the issues with the utmost care, balancing individual justice with collective responsibility.