Rio 2016: IOC panel to decide fate of Russian athletes

An International Olympic Committee
panel will have the final say on Russian
athletes' eligibility to compete at Rio 2016 ,
says a spokesman for the Olympic
organization.
The panel will make its decisions based on
advice from the Court of Arbitration of Sport
and only those athletes already cleared to
take part at the Olympics by their
international federations will be considered.
The panel will be comprised of Juan Antonio
Samaranch Jnr, son of the former IOC
president; Claudia Bokel, an IOC Executive
Board Member; and Ugur Erdener, head of the
IOC Medical Commission.
Any athlete already banned by their
international federation from taking part in
Rio -- the entire Russian weightlifting team,
for instance -- will not be considered for a
second chance by the panel.
The panel will likely confirm the decisions
already taken by the international
federations, rather than overturn decisions on
the more than 250 Russian athletes deemed
eligible to compete.
"It is important the IOC takes the final
decision based on independent advice," said
IOC spokesman Mark Adams Saturday. "There
is not a blanket decision. It is about
individual athletes."
The IOC has been heavily criticized for its
handling of events in the wake of Richard
McLaren's WADA-commissioned report,
opting not to impose a blanket ban on
Russia, despite allegations of state-
sponsored doping.