RUSSIAN ATHLETES WHO pass an individual test will be allowed to compete under their national flag at the Rio Games, the head of the International Olympics Committee said.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) voted last week to uphold Russia’s suspension, first imposed in November after a WADA report unveiled state-sponsored doping and widespread corruption in Russian athletics.
Deficiencies in the anti-doping systems in Russia and Kenya have created doubts about the presumption of innocence for athletes from both countries, Bach said on Tuesday.
But athletes who are cleared by the IAAF or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will be allowed to compete under the Russian flag.
He dismissed suggestions that eligible track and field stars would compete under a neutral or Olympic flag, as had been suggested when the IAAF extended its ban on Friday.
“If there are athletes qualified then they will compete as members of the team of the Russian Olympic Committee,” Bach told reporters.
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