Russian athletes ban is 'unfair', says Vladimir Putin
Online Desk
18 Jun 2016 00:03 AM
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi attend a joint press conference following their talks at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2016) in Saint Petersburg on June 17, 2016. Photo: AFP
Vladimir Putin has said it is unjust and unfair that Russian athletes remain banned from international competition, including the 2016 Olympics in Rio, reports the BBC.
The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) decided not to lift the suspension, imposed after accusations of state-sponsored doping.
Individual athletes can compete as neutrals if they prove they are clean.
The Russian president called on other bodies, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to intervene.
The IOC executive board said it would hold a telephone conference on Saturday to discuss the issue ahead of a full IOC summit in Lausanne on Tuesday.
"There are universally recognized principles of law and one of them is that the responsibility should be always personified," said President Putin.
"The people who have nothing to do with violations, why should they suffer for those who committed the violations?
"I'm assuming that we'll have a discussion with our colleagues in the World Anti-Doping structure and I hope for a suitable reaction from the International Olympic Committee."
The country was suspended by the IAAF in November 2015, after an independent World Anti-Doping Association (Wada) report depicted a culture of widespread doping, with even the secret services involved.
After that, Russia introduced reforms including an overhaul of the rules, the introduction of independent testing, and anti-doping lessons in schools.
A task force has been studying those reforms but a fresh Wada report, issued on Wednesday, made more damaging claims.
