SM
Spain vs. Croatia: 4 hrs 26 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Thomas Bach defends decision to allow Russian athletes in Rio

:Headline: Thomas Bach defends decision to allow Russian athletes in Rio: ID:278190: from db_amp
IOC president Thomas Bach defends the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete at the Rio Olympics despite allegations of state-sponsored doping in the country.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has defended the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete at the Rio Olympics.

Allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia have overshadowed the build-up to this summer's Games, but the IOC last month decided against imposing a blanket ban on the country's athletes.

Athletics and weightlifting are the only federations to have enforced a total ban on Russia, but Bach insists that he does not regret taking a more lenient stance than he could have.

"When you take such a difficult decision, you have to weigh the arguments on all sides and ponder them," he told reporters.

"In the end you have to bring it down to one point, one guiding principle, and for me it was: would I be able to look into the eyes of athletes? I can tell you that during my many, many visits to the Olympic Village I have been looking into the eyes of many athletes.

"In such a difficult situation, you are never going to get 100% agreement - there's no way with so many different arguments and so much passion - but we don't have all the facts yet. I respect every athlete who may feel disappointed, who may have another opinion, but I can look straight forward into their eyes."

At least 271 Russian athletes are expected to compete in Rio, despite the World Anti-Doping Agency recommending that they should all be banned.

amp_article__278190 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2016-08-05 15:29:04:
html db last update - 2016-08-05 15:29:04 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Thomas Bach

Click here for more stories about Russian Federation

Share this article now:
Read more about Thomas Bach Off The Pitch
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .