All of Russia’s weight lifters were banned from the Rio Olympics on Friday for doping. The eight competition spots have been offered to other countries.
The International Weightlifting Federation said in Budapest that the “integrity of the weight lifting sport has been seriously damaged on multiple times and levels by the Russians.” It said the punishment was an “appropriate sanction” to “preserve the status of the sport.”
Weight lifting became the second sport after track and field to issue blanket bans on Russian athletes. Other sports — including rowing, wrestling, modern pentathlon and sailing — have banned one or more Russians from competing in Rio de Janeiro, but not all of the country’s eligible athletes.