IOC Pressured While Considering Russian Admission to Rio 2016 - Official

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was put under strong pressure by US senators and international media while it considered the issue of admitting Russian athletes to 2016 Rio Olympics, Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced its decision to ban all Russian athletes with a record of doping violations from participating in 2016 Rio Olympic Games, while leaving it up to the respective international federations to decide whether individual Russian athletes should be allowed to compete at the Games.

"I believe, the IOC was put under much pressure. It follows from remarks of the US senators and reports in international media. Apparently, the IOC was under strong political pressure," Zhukov told journalists.

In May, US media reported, citing former director of the Russia-based anti-doping laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov, that dozens of Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, including at least 15 medal winners, were using performance enhancing substances throughout the competition as part of a "state-run program," prompting the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to open an inquiry into the claims.

Earlier in July, an independent WADA commission led by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren presented a report based on the investigation results, in which Russia was accused of running a state-wide doping program, prompting the IOC to consider a blanket ban on the entire Russian team.