IOC President Thomas Bach is placing the blame for the delayed decision regarding Russia's Olympic team on the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The 2016 Olympic Games are just days away and the fate of the Russian athletes accused of doping is still unknown. The International Olympic Community is still trying to sort out which athletes will be able to compete in Rio. It was revealed on Sunday that a final decision may not come until hours before the ceremonies begin on Friday.
For weeks many have been calling for Russia to be barred from the 2016 Olympic Games due to what may very well be one of the largest doping scandals in Olympic history. The controversy goes deeper than just the athletes and coaches, with the Russian government being suspected of taking part in the alleged conspiracy.
In mid-July the New York Times quoted Joseph de Pencier, the chief executive of the National Anti-Doping Trade Association, who commented on the scale of the controversy, saying:
“It seems very likely that the Report will confirm what will be one of the biggest doping scandals in history, implicating the Russian Government in a massive conspiracy against the clean athletes of the world. This will be a ‘watershed moment’ for clean sport.”
It now appears that we will may not have a clear picture of the fallout until just hours before the torch is lit.
Recently, Bach recently washed his hands of blame regarding the postponement of a final decision regarding the Russian doping ban, stating (via Telegraph.co.uk):
“The IOC cannot be made responsible neither for the timing nor for the reasons of these incidents we have to face now and which we are addressing and have to address just a couple of days before the Olympic Games.”
British Olympic Association chief executive Bill Sweeney recently spoke to BBC Sport about how the ban will affect this year's games, saying:
"I don't think it devalues the Games in any sense. You'll see fantastic competition and see records tumble."
Sweeney is standing firm in support of strict sanctions for those who have been cheating, despite the unfortunate timing of the pending ruling, adding:
"It's not unsettling for us. It's a shame the whole thing wasn't sorted out a lot earlier before the Games got started. We fully support the strongest possible sanctions for athletes who have been cheating.”
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