The IOC takes time. After the Wada report on state doping in Russia and the request to exclude the Federation from the next games, the International Olympic Committee has clarified that it is "the presumption of innocence" that must be overturned: the presence of each athlete in Rio 2016 "will therefore have to be decided by the international federation to which they belong to its anti-doping rules”. For this reason, the IOC has urged Wada to communicate the names of the athletes involved to the respective federations, limiting itself to opening a formal disciplinary procedure against individuals.
"We will carefully examine the McLaren report - continues the IOC note - evaluating the legal options, comparing the total ban of all athletes and the right to individual justice". In particular, the TAS ruling on the appeal of Russian athletes disqualified by the IAAF, scheduled for 21 July, is awaited.
Meanwhile, the Russian Olympic Committee released a note in which it argues that "it would be wrong to punish those who are clean and unacceptable to ban them from participating in the Rio 2016 Games. As supporters of the fight against doping, with zero tolerance - continues the statement -, we are ready to provide full assistance to all international organizations interested in the case. However, we fundamentally disagree with McLaren's opinion and with those who think about a possible 'layoff' of hundreds of clean Russian athletes. This would be an unfortunate consequence. Russia has always fought at the state level and will continue to fight against doping, plus it will toughen the penalties for crimes related to this illegal activity".
