The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
IOC panel to rule on Russians
Three-person group to determine which athletes are eligible.
RIO DE JANEIRO — A three-person International Olympic Committee panel will make a final ruling on which individual Russian athletes are allowed to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Games.
The IOC’s ruling executive board, meeting Saturday for the final time before the opening of the games next Friday, said the panel will decide on the entry of Russian athletes whose names have been forwarded to compete by their international sports federations and approved by an independent arbitrator.
“This panel will decide whether to accept or reject that final proposal,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “We want to make it absolutely clear that we are the ones making the final call.”
The move comes amid a doping scandal that has led to the exclusion of more than 100 Russian athletes connected to state-sponsored cheating. More than 250 Russian athletes have been cleared to compete by the federations.
The panel will have to make its ruling before the opening ceremony, just five days away.
The panel will consist of three executive board members: Turkey’s Ugur Erdener, chairman of the IOC medical commission; Germany’s Claudia Bokel, head of the athletes’ commission; and Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., a vice president of the modern pentathlon federation.
Adams said the panel will review every athlete cleared by the federations, but would not reopen the cases of those who have been barred. An arbitrator from the Court of Arbitration for Sport will make an initial ruling before the final decision goes to the IOC panel.
Saturday’s meeting came less than a week after the IOC board decided not to ban Russia’s entire team from the games because of state-sponsored doping. Rejecting calls by more than a dozen anti-doping agencies for a complete ban on Russia, the IOC left it to the federations to vet which athletes could compete or not.
The Russians banned so far include the 67 track and field athletes barred as a whole by the IAAF, and more than 30 others rejected under new IOC eligibility criteria. Russia’s eight-member weightlifting team was kicked out of the games Friday for what the international federation called “extremely shocking” doping results.
Russia said Saturday it would immediately appeal the weightlifting decision, and swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev also appealed their bans.
Tennis: American twins Bob and Mike Bryan will not defend their Olympic doubles title in Rio de Janeiro, citing health concerns. They didn’t mention the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects and been cited by several athletes who opted to skip the games.
Sailing: The main ramp of Marina da Gloria, the sailing venue, partially collapsed in high winds. No one was injured, organizers said, but the incident raises questions about the quality of construction in the host city.
The Washington Nationals found a reliable pitcher for the ninth inning, acquiring All-Star closer Mark Melancon from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
Washington sent reliever Felipe Rivero and pitching prospect Taylor Hearn to the Pirates for Melancon, who supplants struggling Jonathan Papelbon as Washington’s closer.
A 31-year-old right-hander, Melancon has converted 30 of 33 saves with a 1.51 ERA this season and joins his fifth organization in eight years. He is making $9.65 million and is eligible for free agency after the World Series.
The move comes as the Pirates find themselves on the fringe of the wild-card race. While general manager Neal Huntington stressed the team remains committed to reaching the playoffs for a fourth straight season, the opportunity to deal Melancon — who led the majors with 51 saves in 2015 and had 33 in ’14 — for two young arms with friendly long-term contracts was too good to pass up.
Papelbon is 2-4 with a 4.41 ERA and has allowed eight runs and seven hits in his past three outings.
■ Friday night’s triple play was the first by the Nationals since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005. It also was the first 3-3-5 triple play in major league history.
Braves-Padres: San Diego sent outfielder Matt Kemp to Atlanta for infielder/outfielder Hector Olivera. Kemp, 31, is owed $54 million in the next three seasons. Olivera, 31, is owed $28.5 million in the next four seasons, but is serving an 82-game suspension through Monday after being arrested April 13 at a hotel near Washington, D.C., and charged with one count of misdemeanor assault and battery.
Athletics: Outfielder Billy Burns was traded to the Royals for outfield prospect Brett Eibner. Oakland also placed left-hander Rich Hill (blister) on the 15-day disabled list.
Mariners: Right-hander Nathan Karns (lower back strain) was put on the 15-day DL and right-hander Cody Martin was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
Giants: Right fielder Hunter Pence was activated from the DL after missing 48 games with a strained right hamstring that required surgery. Pence went 1 for 3 with a double on Saturday.
Mets: Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza, 47, had his No. 31 retired by the team in a pregame ceremony Saturday at Citi Field. Piazza’s number hangs in a big circle on the facade above the upper deck in left field. He became the fourth Met to have his number retired by the team, joining pitcher Tom Seaver and managers Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges.
■ The Mets placed switch-hitting shortstop Jose Reyes on the 15-day disabled list with an intercostal strain on his left side. The Mets filled the roster spot by signing free agent outfielder Justin Ruggiano.
Indians: Jim Thome entered the Indians Hall of Fame on Saturday. Thome is the franchise leader in home runs with 337.
Padres: San Diego had its 25-game home run streak snapped in Friday’s 6-0 loss. The streak tied the NL record set by the 1998 Braves.
Cubs: Jake Arrieta (12-5) is 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA in his five July starts.