Chorus grows for Russia’s ouster from Rio

IN THE DOCK The IOC executive board to hold more talks on Sunday and a decision on a ban could be announced thereafter, an Olympic spokesperson said

MONTREAL: Russia is facing calls to be kicked out of the Olympics after their highly-regarded track and field squad lost their appeal over being banned from Rio for state-sponsored doping.

The IOC executive board is to hold more talks on Sunday and a decision on a ban could be announced after, an Olympic spokesperson said.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) asked that the IOC “consider its responsibilities.”

WADA said they were “satisfied” with the CAS decision, claiming it helps ensure a “level” playing field at next month’s Games.

“It is now up to other international federations to consider their responsibilities under the World Anti-Doping Code as it relates to their Russian national federations and up to the International Olympic Committee... to consider its responsibilities under the Olympic Charter,” the WADA statement said.

Fourteen national anti-doping agencies, including the United States, Canada and Germany, sent a joint letter to IOC President Thomas Bach calling on him to ban Russia from Rio.

Citing the “short amount of time remaining” before the Games, “we believe it is appropriate and necessary for the IOC to take decisive action to uphold the Olympic Charter and the integrity of the Rio Olympic Games,” said the letter, posted on the website of the antidoping Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. The agencies also called for the establishment of a “task force” to “apply a uniform set of criteria to determine whether individual Russian athletes should be permitted to participate in the Rio Olympic Games under a neutral flag.”

The other anti-doping agencies that signed the letter represent Austria, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.