IOC says not all Russian athletes should be banned from Olympics

Insight

In the midst of a doping scandal, the International Olympics Committee is telling the world not to overreact.

It says Russian athletes who can demonstrate a clean record free of doping should be allowed to compete at the Rio games.

CCTV America’s Dan Williams has Insight from the Swiss city of Lausanne.

Russia’s track and field athletes are currently banned from competition following an investigation by the World Anti Doping Agency.

The report accused Russia of systematic state-sponsored doping, leading many to call for a blanket ban to remain in place for Rio. But not everyone has sympathy for that stance.

The other recent doping development centers on the 54 samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games that tested positive for banned substances following a retesting program.

The names of the athletes who failed the test are expected next week.

It’s not just the doping issue that is dominating the minds of IOC executive board members. There is a wide-range of other challenges that are of genuine concern, not least the impact of the Zika virus on Rio 2016.

Last week, 150 medical experts, academics and scientists sent an open letter to the World Health Organization saying the games could speed up the spread of the mosquito-borne disease. But the Rio organizing committee is playing down such concerns.

The IOC spoke of its confidence the Rio games are now on track. But with some athletes pulling out over the fear of the Zika virus and others set to be banned, one of the key questions remains just who will be lining up when the competition starts.