According to recent reports, the International Olympic Committee decided not to ban the entire Russian national team's athletes from participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics. In an interview with Sputnik, Olga Bogoslovskaya, 1993 world champion runner and 1992 Olympic Games silver medalist, commented on the recent decision.
Earlier, the Council of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) refused to allow Russian athletes to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
However, IOC President Thomas Bach said that "clean" athletes are allowed to compete under the Russian flag in Rio, Bach added.
"Of course, we hoped that they would make such a decision. The main thing is that Thomas Bach said that Russian athletes will be able to resolve with the IAAF the issue of participation in the Olympic Games on a case-by-case basis. And most importantly, if it happens, Russian athletes will compete under the Russian flag," Bogoslovskaya told Sputnik.
Recently, 28-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva said that she will travel to Rio only if she is allowed to compete under the Russian flag. Some other Russian athletes also support this point of view.
"In my opinion, the IOC has made a very reasonable and balanced decision, and most importantly, that the Russian athletes will now be able to quickly file their claims and decide the possibility of performing in Rio de Janeiro on a case-by-case basis," Bogoslovskaya said.
The former world champion is confident that some Russian athletes will be able to go to Rio de Janeiro and "form a strong team that will be able to win awards".
In December 2014, German ARD channel released a film titled "The Doping Secret: How Russia Creates Champions" on alleged doping abuse and corruption in Russian sports. The film was followed up by documentaries with further allegations.
Following the release of the film, WADA launched an investigation into the allegations of doping abuse in Russian sports. In November 2015, WADA's Independent Commission issued a report accusing Russia of numerous breaches of global anti-doping regulations. As a result, the IAAF suspended the Russian Athletic Federation's membership.
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