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Moscow expects clean athletes to participate in 2016 Olympics

Xinhua, July 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) expected on Thursday that the Russian athletes not involved in doping use would be allowed to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games.

"ROC hopes that the International Olympic Committee and international Olympic sports federations will take a fair and objective decision on the admission of 'pure' Russian athletes to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro," it said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, the Lausanne based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld a ban imposed on 68 Russian track and field athletes to participate in the Olympics due to allegations of widespread use of doping.

On Monday, the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) issued a statement recommending IOC to suspend the whole Russian team from the 2016 Olympic Games due to an independent investigation conclusion about the Russian State involvement in manipulating the doping control.

IOC has yet to announce its decision on the WADA recommendation.

Only one Russian track and field athlete, Darya Klishina, has been cleared to participate in the Rio Olympics by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), but it still has to be endorsed by the IOC.

The ROC statement said it was disappointed with the CAS ruling, which made possible punishing clean athletes for the guilt of others.

"We are absolutely convinced that individual responsibility neither may, nor must extend to the innocent," the statement said.

The ROC said it would take all the necessary steps, including in international human rights institutions, to protect the rights of athletes, "who had never violated any rules, and devoted their lives and careers to participating in the Olympic Games."

In a separate development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the CAS decision and accusations against the Russian athletes a "blow to the world sport."

She quoted U.S. columnist Paul Craig Roberts as saying that Washington was behind this campaign, which is aimed not only "to provide that U.S. athletes win more medals," but also "to isolate Russia and to build opposition to President Vladimir Putin inside Russia." Endit