Putin slams discrimination vs banned athletes
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin hit out at “discrimination” against the country’s banned track and field athletes at a Kremlin send- off ceremony Wednesday for its depleted Olympic team.
Fencers, triathletes and table tennis players became the latest team of Russians to be cleared to compete in the Olympics by the governing bodies of their sports ahead of the Moscow ceremony, but the IAAF rejected a bid by the bulk of the track and field team to be reinstated.
More than 100 Russians from the 387-strong Olympic team have been banned so far from going to Rio de Janeiro.
“We can’t accept indiscriminate disqualification of our athletes with an absolutely clean doping history,” Putin said. “We cannot and will not accept what in fact is pure discrimination.”
Putin said the athletes banned from the Olympics were victims of a campaign to present Russian sports in a bad light. He spoke with two-time Olympic pole- vaulting champion Yelena Isinbayeva, the most highprofile of the 67 track and field athletes banned from the games, standing beside him.
Fighting back tears, Isinbayeva told Rio- bound Russian athletes: “Show them what you’re able to do – for yourself and for us too.”
As the athletes walked across Red Square to meet Putin, some posed for selfies with Vitaly Mutko, whose sports ministry was accused by the World Anti-Doping Agency of orchestrating the doping coverup. The sports minister has been blocked by the International Olympic Committee from attending the games next month but he remains in Putin’s government.