Therefore, the IOC will not hesitate to take the toughest sanctions available against any individual or organisation implicated,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in the statement. Others, however, say a blanket ban would unfairly hurt certain Russian teams and athletes that were not implicated in any doping scheme. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, file)The International Olympic Committee announced Tuesday that its executive board has begun to consider its legal options regarding a total ban of Russia’s athletic teams from this summer’s Olympics in Rio. [WADA recommends Russia ban at this year’s Olympics]The IOC “will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice,” the governing body said in a statement, issued after an emergency meeting of top Olympic officials. A World Anti-Doping Agency report found evidence of widespread doping in Russia.

Source: Washington Post July 19, 2016 14:49 UTC