IOC boss denies Russian influence in doping decision

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach listens to a question during a press conference in Rio Janeiro, Brazil, on July 31, 2016. Bach rejected criticism of his handling of the Russia drugs scandal, taking a thinly veiled jab at the World Anti-Doping Agency's reaction. PHOTO | AFP

By  AFP

What you need to know:

  • The McLaren report prompted calls for the IOC to ban Russia from Rio, but the Olympic body instead opted to leave it up to individual sports to allow or bar Russian athletes.
  • The decision was widely criticised with speed skating great Claudia Pechstein accusing Bach, a fellow German, of being "bought politically."
  • British former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies also said the IOC chief was too "buddy buddy" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

RIO DE JANEIRO

Olympics boss Thomas Bach rejected claims he was personally influenced by Russia on Sunday after strong criticism over the decision to let Russian athletes compete at the Rio Games.

Bach said he had no contact with the Moscow government after this month's publication of an explosive report which revealed a wide-ranging, state-sponsored doping regime.

Also Read

The McLaren report prompted calls for the IOC to ban Russia from Rio, but the Olympic body instead opted to leave it up to individual sports to allow or bar Russian athletes.
The decision was widely criticised with speed skating great Claudia Pechstein accusing Bach, a fellow German, of being "bought politically."

British former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies also said the IOC chief was too "buddy buddy" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But Bach firmly said "No" when asked by AFP whether he had any contact with Russian officials between the McLaren report's publication and the IOC's decision nearly a week later.

DAMAGING INCIDENT

"I haven't been talking to any Russian government official since the publication of the McLaren report and not even in the time, the days or weeks, preceding," Bach told journalists at Rio's Olympic Park.

The IOC decision has left Russian athletes and their competitors in flux, with the final composition of the Russian team still unknown five days before the Games open on Friday.

But Bach said he didn't think that the incident would turn out to be damaging for the Rio Games.

"I don't think that this event will be damaging because people will realise that we have to take this decision," he said.

"Imagine the situation if we would not have taken a decision, what then the limbo would be. And imagine the situation if we would have taken another decision, what ridicule and legal limbo this would be.

"I trust the people, that they realise the difficulties we are in. They realise that it was not an easy decision to take and they realise that we did our best to address this situation in a way which allows to protect all clean athletes all over the world."

In the headlines