Olympians, Coaches, Politicians, Human Rights Leaders Urge IOC: Ban Russia From Rio

Under the headline, “Please ban Russia from the Rio Games”, The Times newspaper today publishes a letter an the signatures of a wave of leading lights from the sports world calling for the IOC to impose a blanket ban on Russia for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games without ‘half-measures’.

Alongside the article explaining the views of leading figures in sport is the letter to the IOC signed by a host British Olympic champions and medallists, other Olympic medallists and athletes from around the world as well as politicians and leading figures from various strands of the sporting world. Leading swimmers are joined by the World, American, Australian and Canadian swimming coaches associations, all adding their weight to the plea for the International Olympic Committee to make a stand on Russia’s “flagrant abuse of the anti-doping system”.

The letter will intensify the pressure on the IOC ahead of meetings on Sunday and Monday, Tuesday scheduled to be the day the IOC delivers its verdict in the wake of 18 months of media and World Anti-Doping Agency inquiries, the McLaren Report and the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold an IAAF ban on Russian athletes for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The signatories include many leading lights from the world of swimming, including Rebecca Adlington (Double Olympic swimming champion); Roland Schoeman (Olympic swimming gold medallist); Sharron Davies (Olympic swimming silver medallist behind GDR winner); Fran Halsall (Olympic swimmer); Graham Wardell (Scotland head coach at Glasgow 2014); Margaret Kelly (Olympic swimming silver medallist behind GDR winners); June Croft (Olympic swimming silver medallist); Brian Brinkley and Rob Woodhouse (Olympic swimming bronze medallists for GBR and AUS); Gaynor Willis and Ricky Burrell (Olympic swimmers); after board meetings and agreements, the World Swimming Coaches Association, with president George Block named alongside the organisation; the American Swimming Coaches Association; the Australian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association; the Canadian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association; Guy Davis (formerly board of British Swimming); Amanda Loots (South African Olympian); Alex Coci (Romanian Olympian); David Arluck (American sports strategist); Diana Sutherland Nash, Gareth Sykes, Leigh Atkinson, Nuala Muir-Cochrane, Matthew Bowe (Former British internationals and masters swimmers).

Any other in the swimming community who support the action, please leave a short comment to that effect.

The Times’ letter to the IOC reads simply:

To the executive board of the International Olympic Committee,

We ask that you ban the entire Russian team from the Rio 2016 Olympics. It is time to take a stand against the institutionalised doping that would otherwise pollute the Games.

Now is not a time for half measures. It is a time to stand up to cheats and uphold the reputation of the greatest sporting show on earth.

The British Swimming Coaches Association has also written to the IOC to say:

“We, the British Swimming Coaches Association, ask that you take the strongest possible action within your power with regard to the Russian team and the dishonour and disgrace that they bring to the world of fair and clean sport and, by implication, to the Rio 2106 Olympic Games. It is a time to take a stand against the institutional doping that would otherwise pollute the Games. Now is not a time for half measures. It is a time to stand up to cheats and uphold the reputation of the greatest sporting show on earth.”

The Times letter is also signed by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Eleven-time Paralympic wheelchair racing champion), Andrew Triggs Hodge (Double Olympic rowing champion), Sally Gunnell (Olympic hurdles champion), Tessa Sanderson (Olympic javelin …

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