Twenty-eight Russian athletes have had their Olympic doping bans overturned, plunging the International Olympic Committee’s policy on Russian doping into chaos a week before the 2018 Winter Games begin in Pyeongchang.
In a dramatic development on Thursday morning, the court of arbitration for sport ruled that there was “insufficient” evidence that 28 Russians, including several medallists, had broken anti-doping rules at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
That decision means these athletes can keep their results from the 2014 Games and could in theory compete in Pyeongchang as part of the neutral Olympic Athlete of Russia team. However given the deadline for submissions for the Games has now passed, it is unclear whether those wanting to compete will be allowed.
The IOC confirmed that because it had suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in December, Russian athletes could only participate with its permission. “The result of the Cas decision does not mean that athletes from the group of 28 will be invited to the Games,” it added. “Not being sanctioned does not automatically confer the privilege of an invitation.” Currently, 164 Russians are due to compete in Pyeongchang having passed the IOC’s “eligibility criteria”.
The case against Russia and its athletes was largely built on the testimony from the former head of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov, who explained how he had given cocktails of banned steroids to athletes and swapped tainted samples for clean urine in Sochi on orders from Russian state sports officials.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
