Speaking to the Russian team before they left for Rio last week, Putin said Russia’s Olympic ambitions had fallen victim to a politically-motivated plot. “Not one team underwent such strict requirements as Russian athletes,” he told a news conference in Rio. Russia’s depleted team will comprise about 70 percent of the 387-strong squad originally named for the Games. Russia will be represented in most sports at the Rio Olympics, with 271 of its sportsmen and women cleared to participate ahead of the opening ceremony, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) head Alexander Zhukov said on Thursday. Zhukov said the stringent conditions meant Russia’s 271-strong team would now be the cleanest at the Rio Games.

Source: Huffington Post August 04, 2016 23:37 UTC