"We will not be able [to file appeals] before the Olympics, but we will defend our athletes, we will fight for them. We are looking into the possibility of filing an appeal with the CAS. This will take place after the Olympics. This cannot be left as it is, this is a libel. They are discrediting the names of clean and honest athletes, especially at such a level. The information on these samples causes surprise. The athletes and Russia are suffering from politically manufactured sports scandals," Sirayeva told R-Sport.
The information about banned substances discovered in the samples provided to the ICF by the five rowers between 2011 and 2015 cannot be checked as the samples in question are unlikely to have been retained in storage this long, she stressed, adding that the international federation's claims are therefore contentious.
The ICF decision came amid the ongoing doping scandal surrounding the Russian national team and its participation in the 2016 Olympic Games. On July 24, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided against imposing a blanket ban on all Russian athletes and said it was up to individual sports associations to decide whether to let Russian athletes compete.
