The International Olympic Committee will not put a blanket ban on Russia over the country's doping scandal. (EPA photo)The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not impose a blanket ban on Russia for next month's Rio Olympics over the nation's doping record but will leave decisions on individual athletes' participation with their sports federations, it said on Sunday. The Olympic flag and the Russian flag during the closing ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. The IOC's announcement follows call for a Rio ban in response to the independent McLaren report that found evidence of widespread state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The report produced by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren described extensive doping and cover-ups across a series of summer and winter Olympic sports and particularly at the Sochi Winter Olympics hosted by Russia in 2014.

Source: Bangkok Post July 24, 2016 14:15 UTC