IOC Backs IAAF Decision to Ban Russian Athletes From Rio Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board supports the anti-doping position of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which decided to uphold Russia Athletics Federation ban on the Association's membership.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to IOC, "the eligibility of athletes in any international competition including the Olympic Games is a matter for the respective International Federation."

"The International Olympic Committee (IOC) welcomes and supports the IAAF’s strong stance against doping. This is in line with the IOC’s long-held zero-tolerance policy. The IOC has taken note of the decision of the IAAF Council and of the report and recommendations of the IAAF Taskforce. The IOC Executive Board, in a telephone conference today, emphasized that it fully respects the IAAF position," the statement reads.

On Friday, IAAF officially announced the decision to uphold the Russian Athletics Federation's ban on the IAAF membership, which means that Russian athletes cannot participate in international competitions under the IAAF aegis.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is scheduled to hold an emergency summit next Tuesday in Lausanne, Switzerland, to discuss how this will affect innocent athletes.