IOC staunchly defends Russian presence in Rio

[uawchild]

Source: Reuters

Partial sanctions against Russian athletes over the country's state-run doping system are preliminary, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said on Sunday, defending the organization's position amid vocal criticism.

The IOC opted not to ban all Russian athletes from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after revelations of a wide state-backed doping program across many sports.

Instead it chose a set of criteria for athletes to meet, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events, that so far has allowed more than 250 out of the original 387 Russian athletes to be cleared for Rio.

Many anti-doping agencies, athletes and even senior IOC member Dick Pound sharply criticized the decision, saying the IOC lacked the leadership and courage to ban Russia, hosts of the 2014 Sochi winter Games, outright.

Some have even called for Bach's resignation.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-doping-idUSKCN10B0PN

---

Russia was caught RED HANDED doing STATE SPONSORED DOPING.

For that reason alone their entire Olympic team should have been banned, period. Good lord.

[meow2u3]

1. Don't call for punishing the innocent along with the guilty

Let them compete and, if they're caught doping, then ban them and send them back to Russia. Not every Russian athlete is dirty.

Punishing the (presumed) innocent along with the guilty only lowers us to their level.

[Bradical79]

2. It was state run

Whole team should be banned.

[Eugene]

3. As WADA put it, the cheating was state-sponsored and systematic.

Given that the Russian Ministry of Sport orchestrated systematic cheating of Russian athletes to subvert the doping control process; and that, the evidence shows such subversion in 30 sports, including 20 Olympic summer sports and Paralympic sports, the presumption of innocence of athletes in these sports, and in all Russian sports, is seriously called into question.

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/media/news/2016-07/wada-statement-independent-investigation-confirms-russian-state-manipulation-of

The IOC's original position was that individual Russian athletes should
prove themselves clean but they backed down. Just banning the ones
they catch in Rio or in 2012 retests won't even scratch the surface.

[meow2u3]

4. No doubt Russia will be caught cheating afterwards

[Odin2005]

5. The IOC has become a corrupt joke.