Olympic leaders: Russians and Kenyans cannot be presumed innocent
Emerging from a special anti-doping summit, Olympic leaders called for continued scrutiny of all athletes from Russia and Kenya – not just those who compete in track – as the 2016 Summer Games draw near.
The International Olympic Committee meeting on Tuesday followed last week’s decision by the IAAF – the federation governing track worldwide – to exclude Russia’s entire track team from competition in Rio de Janeiro.
The IOC reiterated its support for the IAAF ban and expressed concern about every athlete from Russia and Kenya, two countries whose drug-testing programs have fallen markedly short of global standards.
“The Olympic Summit considers the ‘presumption of innocence’ of athletes from these countries being put seriously into question,” officials said in a statement.
The Russians, in particular, have allegedly conducted state-sponsored cheating in numerous sports with the participation of coaches, officials and the government.
Earlier this week, the World Anti-Doping Agency warned the nation could face additional sanctions pending the results of an investigation into alleged wrongdoing by workers at a Sochi drug-testing lab during the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Even so, IOC officials appeared to soften one aspect of the IAAF decision by saying that some Russian track athletes might be allowed to compete in Rio under their country’s flag.
The IAAF had previously suggested any Russian track athletes who can prove they are clean – and a select few who have aided authorities in the anti-doping fight – could compete as individuals under the Olympic flag.
The president of the Russian Olympic Committee spoke at Tuesday’s meeting and confirmed his country will turn to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal the IAAF ban.
The Russians have insisted that excluding the entire track team unfairly punishes athletes who have never tested positive.
“Banning clean athletes from the Rio Olympic Games contradicts the values of the Olympic Movement and violates the principles of the Olympic Charter,” ROC President Aleksander Zhukov said. “It is also legally indefensible and devalues their competitors’ success.”
The Games are scheduled to begin Aug. 5.
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