Rio 2016: Russia expect ban decision to be made on Sunday as athletes await IAAF supsension appeal fate

The IOC have announced that they will make a decision within a week but Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov believes it will be made at the weekend

Thursday 21 July 2016 07:12 BST

Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov (Getty)

Russia's hopes of fielding a full team at next month's Rio Olympics should be settled on Sunday, according to Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov.

That is when the International Olympic Committee's executive board is holding a second emergency meeting to discuss the fallout from Richard McLaren's explosive report into Russian doping.

McLaren, a Canadian law professor who was asked by the World Anti-Doping Agency to investigate claims of state-directed cheating in Russia, uncovered evidence that hundreds of positive drugs tests had been covered up between 2011-15.

Russian Sports Minister Says Athletes 'Punished Without Reason'

That prompted WADA and many others to ask the IOC and International Paralympic Committee to keep Russia away from Rio but on Tuesday the IOC board said it needed more time to consider its "legal options".

The Lausanne-based organisation has since said it would make a final decision by next Wednesday but Zhukov told Russian state TV it would be "finally resolved by the end of this week, probably on Sunday".

In the meantime, the Court of Arbitration for Sport will deliver its verdict on Thursday on Russia's appeal against the ban imposed on its athletics team by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

That sanction was imposed in November after an earlier WADA-funded investigation and upheld last month, following a unanimous vote by the IAAF's council that Russia had not done enough to earn reinstatement.

McLaren's investigation has revealed that almost all Olympic and Paralympic sports in the world's largest country have been part of a doping conspiracy "directed, controlled and overseen" by the Russian sports ministry.

On Wednesday, the World Rowing Federation (FISA) said it too was consulting "external, independent legal counsel" to work out what "legally sustainable" actions it could take if the report's claims that at least 11 positive tests from rowers were hidden by the Moscow anti-doping laboratory.

FISA has already disqualified Russia's entry in the men's quadruple sculls from Rio because of a doping violation in May but the sporting superpower still has five crews qualified for the Olympics and two for the Paralympics.

Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

Show all 10

1/10Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN - Individual Dressage

The defending Olympic champion in the individual and team dressage disciplines, barely a competition seems to go by in which the 29-year-old Dujardin and her horse, Valegro, do not increase their standing with yet more world records. The pair are looking invincible. Prospects: 24 carat gold

Steve Parsons/PA Wire

Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

GILES SCOTT - Sailing (Finn class)

Arguably one of the best sportsmen to not feature at an Olympics, Scott has suffered the misfortune of competing in the same event as Sir Ben Ainslie with only one spot available. But Ainslie’s Olympic ambitions are now over. Prospects: Gold digger

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Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

WOMEN'S TEAM PURSUIT - Cycling

Once unbeatable, the trio of riders, which later became a quartet – Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell, with Dani King vying to win her place back – went four years without a defeat before being outdone by Australia at the World Championships in Paris in February. Such is British Cycling’s ability to peak at the right time, expect them to be back on top next year. Prospects: Going for gold

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Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

ALISTAIR BROWNLEE - Triathlon

Only fifth in the world, but the Olympic champion had a late start to the season. He has won two of his three races in 2015 and his rivalry with Spain’s Javier Gomez will be captivating up to the Games. Prospects: Going for gold

Getty

Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

SCOTT BRASH - Individual Show Jumping

The multi-million-pound horse Hello Sanctos has helped put Brash, a gold medallist at London 2012 in the team event, comfortably at the top of the world rankings. He is currently on course to become the first rider to win showjumping’s Triple Crown. Prospects: Going for gold

Getty Images

Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

MO FARAH - Athletics – 5,000m and 10,000m

Britain’s leading athlete may have been in the headlines for the wrong reasons in past weeks but he remains the world’s leading distance runner. A repeat of that golden double over the 5,000m and 10,000m will be a hard ask but the Londoner ought to come out on top in at least one. Prospects: Going for gold

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Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

WOMEN'S PAIR - Rowing

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning halted their successful partnership in 2012 so the latter could resume military duties. Now reunited, they are gradually getting back to being the sport’s powerhouses. Prospects: 24 carat gold

AFP/Getty

Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

MEN'S COXLESS FOUR - Rowing

British Rowing has turned its attention to the eight as the lead boat this year in order to qualify for the Olympic Games. However, the coxless four will once more be the No 1 boat for Team GB in Rio. The make-up of the boat is still unknown but Britain will be bidding to achieve a fifth straight win in the event at the Games.

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Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

KATARINA JOHNSON-THOMPSON - Heptahlon

The 22-year-old from Liverpool has just one Olympic appearance to her name dating back to London, where she finished 15th while Jessica Ennis shone. But she has become the world’s leading female eventer and ought to be Olympic favourite. Prospects: Going for gold

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Ten British Gold Medal Prospects At Rio 2016

JADE JONES - Taekwondo 57kg

Ranked second in the world behind Eva Calvo Gomez, the attack-minded Jones beat the Spaniard at last year’s World Grand Prix and was recently crowned the first European Games champion. She believes the world title would have been hers if not for a scoring system error. Prospects: Gold digger

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In a teleconference on Tuesday evening, FISA's executive committee also agreed to review all testing of Russian rowers since 2011 and has asked the IOC for guidance on the possible reallocation of Rio slots to other nations, as the July 18 deadline has passed.

And as a final measure, FISA offered to facilitate a meeting of all the Summer Games' sports federations on Thursday morning.

Athletics and rowing are not the only sports that have forged ahead with responses to the doping crisis, weightlifting is also on the verge of confirming that Russia's team will be banned from Rio, along with Belarus, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan.

Zhukov, however, said he was optimistic of winning the appeal at CAS against the IAAF ban, which he believed would set a precedent.

And with Russia desperately trying to turn the debate away from collective punishment towards individual bans, Zhukov is still hoping to watch the 387 athletes selected for the Olympics march into Rio's opening ceremony on August 5.

PA

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