The IOC maintains it has to balance its concerns over Russian doping against the rights of individual athletes who may well be innocent. While supporting the IAAF decision, the IOC chose not to extend the ban to the entire Russian team. The best that can be said of the decision announced Sunday is that the IOC has not entirely ducked the scandal. Russian athletes may continue to be put under enormous pressure to join in the cheating; those who refuse may find it hard to access state facilities, training and support. Instead, it accepted that Russian athletes found free of doping should have a chance to compete.

Source: National Post July 26, 2016 20:26 UTC