IOC decides not to ban Russian team from Rio

The Russian flag will be flying at the Summer Olympics, after all, as the International Olympic Committee decided Sunday that athletes from the nation mired in an ongoing drug scandal will be allowed to compete on the sporting world’s largest stage next month in Rio de Janeiro.

Less than two weeks before the start of the Rio Games, the International Olympic Committee ruled against barring Russia from the Summer Olympics but did approve measures that could reduce the number of Russian athletes participating. Members of the executive board met on a conference call Sunday and granted authority to the 28 individual federations that govern each sport to rule on which Russian athletes should be permitted to compete in their respective disciplines.

While that could curtail Russia’s participation in the Rio Olympics, it means the exact number of Russian athletes and medal hopefuls representing the nation could remain in flux until days before the opening ceremony, which is scheduled for Aug. 5.

“This is not about expectations. This is about doing justice to our clean athletes all over the world,” IOC President Thomas Bach said on a conference call Sunday afternoon. “In this way, we protect these clean athletes because of the high criteria we set for all the Russian athletes. This may not please everybody on either side . . . .. but still the result today is one which is respecting the rules of justice and which is respecting the right of all the clean athletes all over the world.”

Others had a different interpretation of the IOC’s decision, contending that allowing Russia to participate in any part of the Rio Olympics threatens the integrity of the competition and invites imbalance and doubt to the Olympic playing field.

“The decision regarding Russian participation and the confusing mess left in its wake is a significant blow to the rights of clean athletes,” Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said in a statement.

Tygart has been among those most vocal in recent weeks for an outright ban of Russia at these Olympics, saying the nation’s athletes and sporting officials have sown seeds of distrust and shown a brazen willingness to break rules.

“The IOC has stated before that they believe anti-doping should be wholly independent, and that is in part why it is so frustrating that in this incredibly important moment, they would pass the baton to sports federations who may lack the adequate expertise or collective will to appropriately address the situation within the short window prior to the Games,” Tygart said. “The conflict of interest is glaring.”