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Complete ban predicted for Russians at Rio

Author
Jacqui Stanford,
Publish Date
Sun, 24 Jul 2016, 5:56PM

Complete ban predicted for Russians at Rio

Author
Jacqui Stanford,
Publish Date
Sun, 24 Jul 2016, 5:56PM

UPDATED 6.20PM:  The official decision on the fate of Russia's Olympians is expected overnight, and there's a report that the entire team will be banned from competing in Rio.

Track and field athletes have already been shut out over state-sponsored doping, and now the Daily Mail is quoting well-placed IOC sources, who say the nation will cop a complete ban.

It said senior figures are also advocating a ban for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

New Zealand Olympic Chef De Mission Rob Waddell is in Rio and told Tony Veitch, while they are busy getting things ready, the pending decision is definitely being talked about.

"It's obviously going to have a really big impact. I mean, even just the fact that there's 500 odd athletes that come from Russia, that are meant to come to these Games.

"It certainly seems to be a common opinion that everyone would just like to see the toughest sanctions possible, whatever they may be."

Sport NZ chief executive Peter Miskimmin told Tony Veitch New Zealanders are shocked at the level of deception and want to see the strongest sanctions available.

"I think that the challenge you've got for the IOC is they've got to work through a legal minefield to make sure they are in clear ground to do it, otherwise they're just going to make things more complicated."

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