Russia sending 271 athletes to compete in Rio Olympics
IOC president points to 'very thorough, strict and clear procedure' after doping scandal
By Jonathan Rumley, CBC Sports
The head of the Russian Olympic Committee says 271 Russian athletes have been cleared to compete in the Rio Olympic Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided against a total ban following evidence of a state-run doping program.
"We have good news for the fans of the Russian Olympic team: the majority of the sports have been admitted in full," Alexander Zhukov said at a Thursday news conference.
The Russian sporting committee previously announced 387 competitors were headed to Brazil for the Olympics, which start Friday.
In comparison, Russia sent 436 athletes to the 2012 Summer Games in London. Meanwhile, Canada is sending 315 people to compete for Olympic medals in Rio.
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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued a report conducted independently by Richard McLaren of the University of Western Ontario in July that confirmed evidence of state-sponsored cheating, claiming laboratories in Moscow and Sochi helped protect Russian athletes from positive doping tests from 2011 to 2015.
The International Olympic Committee set up a panel of three executive board members to make the final call, taking into account the advice of an independent sports arbitrator.
"I think this is a very thorough, strict and clear procedure. You will see then the results of this individual analysis ... in order to ensure a level playing field here at the Olympic Games," he added.
Bach's comments come two days after he denounced the idea of an outright ban of Russian athletes, saying it would punish athletes who may have had nothing to do with the reported actions of their government.
"We had to follow the rules of justice and justice has to be independent from politics," Bach noted. "You cannot answer to a violation of a law by another violation of a law."
More punishment possible
Bach insists the way the IOC has handled the Russian doping scandal will allow him to have a clear conscious with the decision.
The IOC chose not to impose a blanket ban on all Russian athletes at a meeting in July, but directed sports federations to allow them to compete if they met a set of criteria, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events.
Bach adds McLaren's report is not final, and that once the investigation is complete, the IOC could take further action against Russians.
"We want to have full light shed on this anti-doping system in Russia," he said. "We will not hesitate to issue further measures or sanctions."
Sport-by-sport overview
Below is a list with the number of Russian athletes cleared to compete in the 2016 Olympic sporting events, according to the IOC and independent sporting associations.
Archery: Three female Russian athletes are in, none are out (no males qualified).
Athletics (including track and field): No Russian athletes are in, 68 are out.
Badminton: All four Badminton players are in, none are out.
Basketball: No Russian teams qualified.
Boxing: All 11 Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Canoeing and kayaking: A total of 18 Russian athletes are in, five are out.
Cycling: A total of 11 Russian athletes are in, three have been withdrawn and three are under review.
Diving: A total of eight Russian divers are in, none are out.
Equestrian: All five Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Fencing: All 16 Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Field hockey: No Russian teams qualified.
Golf: One female Russian athlete is in, none are out.
Handball: Female Russian team is in (15 athletes), none are out.
Judo: All 11 Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Modern pentathlon: Three Russian athletes are in, two are out.
Rowing: Six Russian athletes are in, 22 are out.
Sailing: Six Russian athletes are in, one is out.
Shooting: All 18 Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Soccer: No Russian teams qualified.
Swimming: A total of 29 Russian athletes are in, seven are out.
Synchronized swimming: All Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Table tennis: Three Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Taekwondo: Three Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Tennis: All eight Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Volleyball (including beach volleyball): All 30 Russian athletes are in, none are out.
Water polo: Female Russian team is in (10 athletes), none are out (male team did not qualify).
Weightlifting: No Russian athletes are in, eight are out.
Wrestling: A total of 16 Russian athletes are in, none are out.
With files from The Associated Press and Reuters