Olympics: 7 Russian swimmers banned from Rio Games

7 swimmers, some who served doping bans, barred from Games

Seven Russian swimmers have been barred from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, including three linked to recent allegations of a major doping cover-up by Russian authorities, world swimming’s governing body FINA said Monday.

Reigning world 100-meter breaststroke champion Yulia Efimova is among four Russian swimmers withdrawn by the Russian swimming federation because they previously served doping bans, FINA said. The others are Natalya Lovtsova, Anastasia Krapivina and Mikhail Dovgalyuk.

The International Olympic Committee on Sunday said Russian athletes with previous doping bans would be banned from the Rio Games. That followed the IOC’s decision not to ban the entire Russian team over allegations of statesponsored doping.

FINA said three more swimmers were identified by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren when he examined evidence that Russian government officials ordered the cover-up of hundreds of doping tests. They are 2008 Olympic silver and 2012 bronze medalist Nikita Lobintsev, bronze medalist Vladimir Morozov and world junior record holder Daria Ustinova.

Russia’s top Olympic official, Alexander Zhukov, told Russian agency RSport that he now believed a total of 13 Russians would be ineligible due to previous doping bans. They would be withdrawn from the team, he added.

The 13 are likely to include athletes in swimming, cycling, weightlifting, wrestling and rowing.

On Sunday, the IOC’s executive board asked individual global sports federations to decide on the entry of Russian athletes, and announced new eligibility criteria.

Whistleblower Yulia Stepanova and her husband, Vitaly Stepanov, have appealed to the International Olympic Committee to reverse its decision, handed down Sunday, that denies Stepanova a chance at competing in the Rio Games, which begin Aug. 5.

Stepanova was the 800meter runner who was entrenched in the Russian doping system but later came forward with details about the cheating. That triggered investigations that led to the banning of the Russian track team from the Olympics.

Despite a delay of several days, the head of the Australian delegation said she expects her 700 athletes and officials to move into housing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday. Australia refused to check in at the Athletes Village when it officially opened Sunday, complaining about water leaks, gas leaks, electrical faults and filth that delegation head Kitty Chiller said “endangered” athletes.

USA Gymnastics has reached an agreement with longtime U.S. women’s gymnastics national team coordinator Martha Karolyi and husband Bela to purchase the training facility the couple owns in Huntsville, Texas. The facility will also get a new name: the USA Gymnastics Athlete Development Center at the Karolyi Ranch.