"We hope that the Russian delegation at the Olympics will consist of about 450 people. We have no doubt that our athletes will be fully prepared for the Games in Rio," Nagornykh told reporters.
However, it remains unclear, whether the Russian athletic team will be allowed to compete, as in November 2015, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission presented a report accusing the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF) of numerous breaches of global anti-doping regulations. It recommended that the country be banned from international athletics competitions.
The Russian authorities promised to carry out a clean-up program to fulfill WADA's demands in order for Russian athletes to be allowed to participate in the 2016 Olympics.
Rio de Janeiro will host the Summer Olympic Games on August 5-21, 2016.
