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Russian Olympic Committee 'Must Not Boycott 2016 Rio Games' - Lawmaker

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The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) must not boycott 2016 Rio Olympic Games giving in to the US Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) aggressive provocation, the head... 16.07.2016, Sputnik International

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Russian Olympic Committee 'Must Not Boycott 2016 Rio Games' - Lawmaker

20:11 GMT 16.07.2016 (Updated: 20:17 GMT 16.07.2016)

© AP Photo / David J. Phillip, fileIn this Feb. 18, 2014 file photo, a Russian skating fan holds the country's national flag over the Olympic rings before the start of the men's 10,000-meter speedskating race at Adler Arena Skating Center during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia

In this Feb. 18, 2014 file photo, a Russian skating fan holds the country's national flag over the Olympic rings before the start of the men's 10,000-meter speedskating race at Adler Arena Skating Center during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia - Sputnik International

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) must not boycott 2016 Rio Olympic Games giving in to the US Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) aggressive provocation, the head of the Duma Committee on physical culture, sport and youth Affairs Dmitry Svishchev said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, R-Sport agency obtained a copy of the letter sent by Head of the USADA Travis Tygart to president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach in which he requested to suspend Russian Olympic and Paralympic Committees from participating in 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"I consider this a kind of provocation. The letter, its leakage to the media, it is all a special move to see how will the IOC and the WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency], and the Russian side will react. Under no circumstances we should boycott [the Olympics]. We have to fight and defend our rights," Svishchev told R-Sport.