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Kremlin welcomes IOC decision not to ban Russia from Rio Olympics

Xinhua, July 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Kremlin on Monday welcomed the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to slap a blanket ban on the participation of Russia's national team in the upcoming Rio Olympic Games.

The IOC Executive Board decided on Sunday not to suspend the entire Russian team from the 2016 Olympics and let each international sports federation determine respective athletes' eligibility.

"We believe that this is a positive decision, and we regard it positively," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

"We definitely welcome the ultimate solution, which allows so-called 'clean' athletes to take part in the Olympics after an endorsement from international federations," he added.

The spokesman stressed the necessity of closer cooperation with the IOC and its structures, as well as with international sports organizations, in order to eliminate the consequences of the doping scandal involving Russian athletes and sports officials.

He said Moscow hoped that a new anti-doping body to be created following the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin would be able to contribute to lifting questions related to this issue.

Putin proposed on Friday that Russia should form a new anti-doping commission, involving Russian and foreign experts, as well as public and sport figures, to be headed by Vitaly Smirnov, honorary president of the Russian Olympic Committee and IOC member since 1971, whom Putin called "a man of impeccable reputation".

The IOC reacted to a statement by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which recommended the suspension of the entire Russian team from the 2016 Olympics due to an independent report that accused Russia of running a "state-dictated failsafe system" of drug cheating at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games and other major events.

Peskov said Putin had no plans to attend the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics on Aug. 5 so far, and he was unaware whether the Russian president could attend any other event of the Games. Endit