Russian Federation have 271 athletes cleared for Olympics

Russian Olympic Committee chief Alexander Zhukov said it was unfair that Russian sports stars such as double Olympic champion pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva would be forced to watch the games from home while past doping offenders from other countries, including top US runner Justin Gatlin, were able to compete.

Many consider the IOC’s decision a victory for Russian Federation, a nation that the independent World Anti-Doping Agency slammed for having what it called a state-sponsored doping program.

The IOC asked individual federations to decide whether Russians could compete after an independently commissioned Wada report found evidence of a four-year, state-run “doping programme”.

“I want to tell you that our teams will take part in a majority of the sports at the Olympic Games with full participation”, Alexander Zhukov, the head of Russia’s Olympic Committee said.

She and husband Vitaly, a former Russian anti-doping official, said in a statement that the International Olympic Committee had “turned a blind eye” to the risks the 800m runner took in exposing “systematic cheating in Russia”.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) said all 11 Russian boxers who qualified for the Games had been given the all clear.

A three-member International Olympic Committee panel reviewed the list submitted by the federations and announced a final figure of 271 on Thursday.

But he took a swipe at the total ban on Russia’s track and field team, which has robbed athletes like pole vault world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva and 110m hurdles world champion Sergey Shubenkov of the chance to compete. Please see our terms of service for more information.

In its ruling, CAS declares that the International Olympic Committee decision of excluding Russians with an earlier doping sanction conflicts with the rules of natural justice and “deprives the Russian athletes of the presumption of innocence and rather establishes a presumption of guilt, but one that is rebuttable by the athletes on an individual basis”.

CAS rejected the athletes’ appeal to be granted direct entry into the games, saying it was now up to the global rowing and swimming federations to decide whether to let them in or not. The policy eliminated the assumption of virtue and in its place requires Russian athletes to show that they have not dishonored anti-doping rules.

The decision was announced Thursday with respect to the appeals of one swimmer, Yulia Efimova, and two rowers, Anastasia Karabelshikova and Ivan Podshivalov.

Russia, accused of operating a huge state-orchestrated doping system, will now have its smallest Olympic team for more than a century for the Games which start on Friday.

In the very near future, maybe even shortly after the official opening of the Games, the Russian team may be joined by a few more athletes.

The decision, foreshadowed by IOC President Thomas Bach earlier in the day, puts an end to the scandal for the moment, and allows the Olympic world to move on to what everybody is here for – the sport.

The final number will be revealed on Friday, Zhukov said. “You can not answer to a violation of a law by another violation of a law”. Other sports with zero Russian players: weightlifting and rowing.

In the jungle city of Manaus, Colombia and Sweden drew 2-2 in Group B.

In Group C, defending champion Mexico drew 2-2 with Germany despite twice having the lead in the northeastern city of Salvador.