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A flag bearing the Olympic rings sits next to the flag of Russia

IOC panel to have final say on Russian Rio participation

Ugur Erdener, Claudia Bokel and Juan Antonio Samaranch will make a decision “in the coming days”.

THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC Committee (IOC) has revealed that a three-person review panel will have the final say on which Russian athletes can compete in the Rio Olympics less than a week before the Games commence.

Individual sports’ federations have spent the last week deciding whether to allow Russian competitors to perform in Brazil after the IOC ruled out a blanket ban following the publication of the McLaren report, which claimed Russia was guilty of state-sponsored doping.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko on Saturday said that he expects 266 athletes from the European nation to be cleared for the Games in Brazil, which start on Friday.

The IOC’s executive board has now announced that Ugur Erdener, Claudia Bokel and Juan Antonio Samaranch will make the “final decision” on Russian participation.

It was stated by the IOC that a decision is due to be made by the panel “in the coming days”.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) called for a complete ban on Russian athletes following a report delivered by Professor Richard McLaren, which found that doped athletes representing Russia had been “directed (and) controlled” at state level.

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