Olympic officials block a third of Russia's Rio roster amid doping scandal
When the Olympic Games opening ceremony begins Friday night in Rio de Janeiro, Russia will be short about a third of its slate of athletes, after the International Olympic Committee on Thursday approved 271 of Russia's 389 athletes to compete in the Games. The other 118 were barred amid a scandal over Russia's government-sanctioned doping regime. The barred athletes can appeal to a special Rio court of the world sporting arbitration panel, but the appeals could easily swamp the court, set up to adjudicate doping cases that arise at the Olympics.
The IOC said it based its decision on which Russians to ban after consulting with top officials in all 28 Summer Olympics sports, paying special attention to the drug-test history of each athlete. Anti-doping officials had called for Russia's entire roster to be banned. If the slate of 271 athletes stands, Russia will have a smaller delegation than 11 other countries, The New York Times reports, and fewer competitors than the 436 athletes Russia sent to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 556 the U.S. has competing in Brazil this year.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
Tips and tricks for VeganuaryThe Week Recommends Here are some of our best recommendations for a plant-based start to the year
-
FBI bars Minnesota from ICE killing investigationSpeed Read The FBI had initially agreed to work with local officials
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
A peek inside Europe’s luxury new sleeper busThe Week Recommends Overnight service with stops across Switzerland and the Netherlands promises a comfortable no-fly adventure
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
