IOC clears 80 Russian athletes for Rio a day to opening

The International Olympic Committee [IOC], on Thursday, cleared almost 80 Russian athletes just a day before the opening ceremony.

The cleared athletes will compete in seven sports including boxers, tennis players, judokas and shooters.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) said all 11 Russian boxers who qualified for the Games had been given the all clear.

They will be joined by eight Russian tennis players, 18 shooters, 11 judokas and Russian golfer Maria Verchenova, the sports’ international federations said.

“AIBA has carried out an individual analysis of the anti-doping record of each of the 11 Russian boxers qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games…” AIBA said in a statement.

“That process is now complete and confirmation has been received from the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Review Panel that the following 11 Russian boxers are eligible to compete at Rio 2016.”

An IOC panel was set up last minute to review the eligibility of all Russian athletes previously cleared to compete by their international federations.

Russia narrowly avoided a complete ban from the Olympics following revelations of state-backed doping.

It, however, hopes to have between 272 and 280 athletes declared eligible for Rio after the IOC review.

Russian news agency R-Sport reported that 29 Russian swimmers and canoeing world champion Andrey Kraitor would also be allowed to compete.

Russia’s doping scandal centres on allegations that the Russian government and FSB security service systematically covered up widespread cheating in sport.

It has already cost the country’s track-and-field athletes and weightlifters their place at the Rio Games.

The IOC chose not to impose a blanket ban on all Russian athletes at a meeting in July.

It, however, directed sports federations to allow Russians to compete if they met a set of criteria.

The criteria include a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events.

The Games’ ruling body said on Saturday those decisions would now be reviewed by an independent panel.

The panel consist of Ugur Erdener, the IOC’s medical commission chairman, Germany’s Claudia Bokel and fellow IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.

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