“It seems to me that this is simply part of a worldwide war they are waging against Russia. The entire world has banded together, that’s why they are looking for any possible reason to take a pick at it,” Gilbert told RTBF during the ceremony of sending off the Belgian Olympic team to Rio de Janeiro.
“First they sent Russia’s currency tumbling down and now they are attacking its athletes. I don’t like the way Russia is governed. I think that the whole world has united against Russia,” the 34-year-old said.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) three-member panel tasked with deciding the fate of Russian athletes at the Rio Olympics will render its final decision by Thursday, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Alexander Zhukov said Tuesday.
"There is still no final list on the number of athletes participating in the Olympic Games. We are waiting for the CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport] ruling followed by the commission’s final decision. The deadline is Thursday when competitions begin," Zhukov told reporters.
The IOC three-member panel is chaired by Ugur Erdener and includes former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and athletes commission chair Claudia Bokel. IOC Director of Communications Mark Adams said over the weekend the panel would make its final decision before the Games kick off on Friday.
On July 24, the 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 to the respective international federations to decide whether individual Russian athletes should be allowed to compete at the Games.
