LONDON (AP) – With just over two weeks until the opening ceremony, Russia still doesn’t know whether its athletes – all or even some – will be competing in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. It may all come down to the lawyers.
While the IOC decided Tuesday to ban from the Rio Games all Russian Sports Ministry officials and other administrators implicated in allegations of a state-run doping program, it delayed a ruling on whether to take the unprecedented step of barring the entire Russian Olympic team.
The International Olympic Committee said it “will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the rights to individual justice.