The International Olympic Committee will not issue a blanket ban on Russian athletes hoping to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games and will instead leave the decision on competitors' eligibility up to their respective sporting federations, the IOC said in a statement Sunday. A damning World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) report released last week alleged a complex system of subterfuge that involved Russia's security services tampering with and altering sealed urine samples. All this was carried out under the direction of the country's sport authorities to cover up doping across a "vast majority" of winter and summer sports, the report stated, leading many to call for Russia to be banned from the Rio Games, which begin August 5. However, Sunday's announcement means Russian athletes "will be accepted by the IOC" to compete in Rio if they can meet strict anti-doping criteria, have no doping history and are given the green light by their own sports governing body. Federations "should carry out an individual analysis of each athlete's anti-doping record, taking into account only reliable adequate international tests, and the specificities of the athlete's sport and its rules, in order to ensure a level playing field," the IOC statement said. ***PRBXSELFNETWORK***
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