International Olympic Committee (IOC) is Considering Banning All Russian Athletes from participating in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. The IOC is currently exploring legal options before deciding on implementing a collective ban.
In the mean time, the governing body plans to re-test all Russians who competed at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games.
There are indications, according to McLAren’s report, which indicate urine samples of Russian competitors were manipulated across the vast majority of summer and winter Olympics sports from late 2011 until August 2015.
Yelena Isinbaeva © Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters
The IOC also declared it will not organize or back any sports events or meeting in Russia including European games scheduled for June 2019. Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko is banned from attending the Rio Games.
Abdulrashid Sadulaev
The worst perpetrators according to McLaren’s report are in the athletics department. Beyond athletics, 28 sports are affected out which 21 are Olympic sports.
Wrestling is closely following behind athletics and weightlifting.
This is the damning chart: pic.twitter.com/XKmNc0JwXG
— Philip Hersh (@olyphil) July 18, 2016
If we look through the history, one other country was banned from competing in the Olympics and that was South Africa due to apartheid. They were unable to compete from 1964 through 1988.
Do you think Russia should be banned? Sound off your thoughts in the comments.
