- Vladimir Putin was speaking at a farewell event for Russia’s Olympians
- Putin also said that the IAAF had ‘gone beyond legal boundaries’
- Russia’s involvement has been a huge source of embarrassment to Putin
- The Russian federation has been banned from athletics since NovemberÂ
Vladimir Putin has angrily accused the International Association of Athletics Federations of ‘blatant discrimination’ for banning almost the entire Russian Olympic track and field team.
Speaking at a farewell event for Russia’s Rio-bound Olympians in Moscow, the Russian President said the absence of athletes from the world’s largest country would also diminish the competition.
In regards to the IAAF decision to reject the eligibility applications of 67 of Russia’s 68-strong athletics team, the TASS news agency quoted Putin as saying it had ‘gone beyond legal boundaries as well as beyond the point of common sense’.
Vladimir Putin has accused the IAAF of ‘blatant discrimination’ for their ban
Putin also said that the absence of Russia would diminish the Olympic Games
Putin continued by denouncing the IAAF as ‘short-sighted politicians’ spoiling sport’s ability to bring people together.
A keen sportsman, the 63-year-old former KGB officer later bid the team good luck, calling them ‘winners’ and promising them financial rewards if they win medals.
Russia’s involvement in the Rio Games, however, has been a source of huge embarrassment to Putin and his country.
The Russian athletics federation has been banned from international competition since November and last week the Russian Olympic Committee failed in a bid to get this ban overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 63-year-old wished Russia’s team good luck and referred to them as ‘winners’
The athletics sanction was imposed after a World Anti-Doping Agency-commissioned investigation uncovered widespread doping. That inquiry also led to the suspension of Russia’s anti-doping agency and Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory.
A second WADA-funded report by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren published last Monday revealed even further, state-directed doping, this time encompassing almost all Olympic and Paralympic sport in the country.
That led to calls for the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee to ban the entire Russian delegations from Rio, calls that the IOC resisted but the IPC looks set to heed.
The IOC’s response was to pass the responsibility for decisions on Russia’s participation in Rio to the 28 international sports federations that govern each sport in the summer programme.
Most of those sports have completed the process of individually vetting Russia’s team, with over 100 athletes from the initial 387 that were selected being declared ineligible.
Fencing and volleyball’s governing bodies announced it would submit all of Russia’s roster
Fencing’s world governing body, the FIE, said it had ‘re-examined the results’ of the drug tests taken by the 16-strong Russian team over the last two years and all were negative.
Volleyball’s international federation, the FIVB, announced it too was submitting all 44 of Russia’s roster for the beach and indoor competitions to the IOC and CAS for final approval.
Russia won the men’s indoor volleyball event at London 2012, while it claimed two silvers and a bronze in the fencing competition.
The International Triathlon Union cleared the three men and three women in Russia’s triathlon squad to compete.
Fencing, triathlon and volleyball join archery, badminton, equestrian, judo, shooting and tennis in approving all of Russia’s proposed athletes for the Rio Games, which start on August 5.
Boxing, cycling, golf, gymnastics, handball, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling are, however, still to confirm their eligibility decisions.