IOC to explore legal options on possible ban for Russian team in Rio

The International Olympic Committee says it will explore the legal options for a potential total ban on Russia from the Games in Rio de Janeiro, and is taking measures to punish athletes and officials involved in the state-run doping conspiracy.

The IOC executive board announced steps on Tuesday following a scathing report by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) investigator who accused Russia's sports ministry of overseeing doping of the country's athletes across 28 Olympic sports.

"The findings of the report show a shocking and unprecedented attack on the integrity of sports and on the Olympic Games. Therefore, the IOC will not hesitate to take the toughest sanctions available against any individual or organization implicated," IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement released Tuesday.

WADA and other anti-doping officials urged the IOC to consider the unprecedented step of excluding the entire Russian contingent from the Rio Games. The IOC stopped short of supporting such a move, but didn't rule it out either.

First, the IOC said, it will "carefully evaluate" the report issued on Monday by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, who listed 20 summer sports as being part of systematic cheating in Russia, and confirmed the manipulation of Russian doping samples at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

The IOC "will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice," the 15-member ruling executive board said in a statement following a meeting by teleconference.

The IOC noted that it will have to take into account a decision coming on Thursday from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is due to rule on the dispute between Russia, 68 of its athletes, and the governing body of world athletics over their Rio participation after the IAAF banned the country from the Rio track and field program. That ban was imposed in November by the IAAF and upheld last month.

McLaren report revealed coverups

The IOC also asked WADA to extend the mandate of McLaren to provide names of athletes implicated in doping coverups.

The report, commissioned by WADA and compiled by McLaren, revealed evidence of widespread state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes and extensive coverups, particularly at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the Russian city of Sochi.

Positive tests were covered up and "dirty" urine samples swapped with "clean" ones with methods developed by the  domestic intelligence service, while deputy sports minister Yuri Nagornykh decided which athletes would be protected.

The IOC says it will "initiate reanalysis, including forensic analysis, and a full inquiry into all Russian athletes who participated" in Sochi. The investigation will be led by Denis Oswald, a Swiss former rower and senior IOC member.

The IOC executive board adds it "will impose all the appropriate sanctions" if wrongdoing is found.

Minister continues to deny allegations

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Tuesday there was no state-backed doping scheme in Russia, the news agency Interfax reported.

"I can say once again, there are no state doping schemes in Russia," Mutko was quoted as saying.

The IOC says it has opened investigations into top Russian sports officials and is seeking to bar them from the Rio Games.

The IOC has set up a disciplinary commission led by former French Constitutional Court Judge Guy Canivet to look into "officials within the Russian Ministry of Sports and other persons mentioned in the report." The WADA report accused Mutko and his officials of overseeing a coverup of hundreds of doping test failures by Russians.

Several officials, including one of Mutko's deputies and his anti-doping adviser, have been suspended on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mutko told Russian agency R-Sport earlier Tuesday.

Mutko, who is not suspended, denies any wrongdoing, and says he expects his subordinates to be reinstated after "temporary" suspensions.

The IOC said on Tuesday it had started disciplinary action against officials mentioned in the report and that anyone implicated would not be given accreditation for Rio.

The IOC has also instructed all international Winter Olympic Winter Sports Federations to freeze their preparations for major events in Russia.

It also said it would not back the European Games, scheduled to be held in Russia in 2019.​

By The Associated Press

With files from Reuters and CBCSports.ca