Doping Claims to Influence Russia 2016 Olympics Participation if True - IOC

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia’s participation in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be affected if the recent doping allegations turn out to be true, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said.

Earlier this month, US media alleged that dozens of Russian athletes, including at least 15 medal winners and the entire women’s hockey team, had been using doping throughout the event. The reports cited then-director of the Russia-based antidoping laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is probing the claims.

"The results of the WADA investigation will also greatly influence the nature of the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games in Rio. Should there be evidence of an organised system contaminating other sports, the international federations and the IOC would have to make the difficult decision between collective responsibility and individual justice," Bach said in an article for The Telegraph newspaper.

In November 2015, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission issued a report accusing Russia of numerous breaches of global anti-doping regulations and recommended the country be banned from international athletics competitions. As a result, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) temporary suspended the Russian Athletic Federation's membership of the association.

The Russian authorities have promised to carry out a clean-up program to fulfil the WADA demands in order for country's athletes to be allowed to participate in the 2016 Olympics.