Russian track & field athletes banned from Games
Putin condemns decision by IAAF
VIENNA — Russia’s track and field athletes will be banned from competing for their country at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after a landmark decision Friday that punished the sports powerhouse for a systematic doping system that operated “from the top down” and tainted the entire team.
In an unprecedented ruling loaded with geopolitical ramifications, the IAAF upheld its ban on Russia’s track and field federation, saying the country had made some progress in cleaning up but failed to meet the requirements for reinstatement and would be barred from sending its athletes to the Rio Games that begin Aug. 5.
“Russian athletes could not credibly return to international competition without undermining the confidence of their competitors and the public,” IAAF President Sebastian Coe said.
President Vladimir Putin condemned the decision, saying he still hopes for “some solution” that will allow the Russians to compete in Rio.
“Clean athletes shouldn’t suffer,” he told a meeting of leaders of major international news agencies in St. Petersburg.
Russia does not accept “collective punishment” for all athletes, Putin added, comparing the ban for the entire team to a prison sentence that “an entire family” could get if one of its relatives has committed a crime.
Russia’s Sports Ministry also said Rio Games will be “diminished” by the absence of its ath-
letes, and the Russian track federation said it was considering an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport — the sports world’s highest court.
The IAAF, track’s world governing body, left open a “tiny crack” that would allow any individual Russian athletes who have been untainted by doping and have been subjected to effective testing outside Russia to apply to compete in the games.
However, the IAAF said those athletes would be few and would be eligible to compete only as “individuals” — and not under the Russian flag.
“The crack in the door is quite narrow and there won’t be many who manage to get through that crack in the door,” said Rune Andersen, the Norwegian anti-doping expert who headed the IAAF task force that determined that Russia’s reforms were not enough.
The IAAF said it was necessary to ban the entire track and field team because there was no way to verify which athletes could be considered clean.
Coe dismissed suggestions there were any political motivations behind the decision.
“There were members from all four corners of the world, and the decision was unanimous,” he said.
The ruling came four days before a sports summit called by the IOC to address “the difficult decision between collective responsibility and individual justice.”
The IOC said it had “taken note” of the IAAF ruling and that its executive board will meet by teleconference today to “discuss the appropriate next steps.”
There has been speculation the IOC could overrule the IAAF or impose a compromise that would allow “clean” Russian athletes to compete. However, Coe made clear that the IAAF runs the sport and determines which athletes are eligible, not the IOC.