IOC Fails To Impose Blanket ban On Russia & Abdicates It Duty: FINA & Co To ‘Decide’

The International Olympic Committee has failed to impose a blanket ban on Russia and has abdicated its duty by handing the decision on whether the country’s athletes can compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to international federations such as FINA.

Instant reports as the IOC meets the media in Lausanne is that “The IOC will not accept any entry of any Russian athlete unless they meet certain criteria”. Russians will race in Rio. How many and in which sports remains to be seen. Russian sports federations and their respective international bodies will now find any way possible to get their athletes into competition in Rio.

“Specific criteria” includes proving that they have not tested positive in international tests – as opposed to Russian tests. That compromise places emphasis on the athletes are takes focus away from the role of the Russian state.

With just 12 days to go to the start of racing in the pool in Brazil, FINA, the swimming federation that has already spoken up against a blanket ban, will now simply look at its international anti-doping testing program, point out the numbers of tests carried out and the dollars spent and then get back to business as usual.

Article 3 of the decision today cuts out some problems: those Russian who “ever” tested positive such as Yuliya Efimova* and Natalia Lovtcova**, should be out. FINA must deliver that verdict.

If and when it does, questions will flow, such as why the same does not apply to others caught using banned substances in the past one or two Olympic cycles, including Sun Yang* (CHN) and Park Tae-hwan* (KOR).

Reaction and criticism of the IOC has been instant:

“No… I fell so disappointed in IOC again, shows it’s more about the money than the sport! Shame on them…Sharron Davies MBE added” Sharron Davies, GBR, Olympic silver 1980, behind GDR winner

Davies predicted, with others, that booing could not be heard in Rio when Russian athletes walk out to compete. Some media are reporting possible boycott measures from others nations, though nothing of that nature has been raised officially.

The IOC, according to early reports, has also failed to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee, key officials from which are highly implicated in state-run doping and cited by WADA and Prof. Richard McLaren in the McLaren Report as men who should be banned from sport.

Despite the word of WADA and a supportive decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Track and Field, the IOC has opted for fudge, compromise, chaos, …

continue reading in source www.swimvortex.com