IOC Updates on Russia, Kenyan Doping Scandal

(ATR) The IOC says 278 Russians are cleared to compete at the Rio Games – but that number may rise pending appeals to sport’s highest court.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams produced a breakdown of the Russian team who are entered for the Games at a press briefing in Rio Sunday. It followed decisions made by the 28 summer federations to ensure Russian athletes met the IOC’s strict eligibility criteria issues two weeks ago.

The grid of 28 sports shows that only five federations have acted to remove Russians from the Games – athletics (68); canoe sprint (6); rowing (24); track cycling (5); weightlifting (8).

The work of the IOC’s three-person panel which had scrambled to review the federations’ decisions in the past week, had finished its work, Adams said.

But with the Court of Arbitration for Sport still busy with athlete appeals, the final number of Russians could top 280.

After the International Paralympi Committee did what the IOC refused to do in barring Russia today, Thomas Bach's committee defended its decision not to impose a blanket ban.

In a statement, the IOC said the IPC situation was "totally different" as there was only one Russian national federation comprising winter and summer Paralympic sports.

"You could compare this situation to the one of international federations and their relations with national federations. In this context the IOC executive board decision contains the request to all IFs to 'apply their respective rules in relation to the sanctioning of entire NFs', as for example the International Weightlifting Federation did by excluding its Russian member federation from the participation in the Olympic Games Rio 2016."

Adams said the IPC’s ruling was guided by different circumstances, with the "gravest charges" in Russian Paralympic doping linked to the Sochi 2014 Games.

Kenyan Doping Scandal

The IOC is awaiting any evidence amid reports that Kenyan athletics official Major Michael Rotich offered athletes advance warning of doping tests in exchange for cash bribes. In an undercover sting, the Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD filmed Major Michael Rotich supposedly making the offer.

Adams said they were "very serious allegations. We wait to see any evidence of malpractice". The Kenyan NOC had asked Rotich to leave Rio "because they feel his presence is a distraction".

The IOC spokesman emphasized that Kenya’s track and field team was "probably the most tested in the last two years". He said the IAAF had conducted 848 tests on the athletics team.

Ticket Sales; Glitches Being Fixed

Rio 2016 organizers said 150,000 people were on the Olympic Park on Saturday with 15,000 at the Live site in Rio.

Spokesman Mario Andrada said 82 percent of tickets for the Games had been sold, with 1.1 million still available.

Organizers are 5 percent above target for revenues from ticket sales. Andrada said 75 percent of ticket buyers were Brazilians.

He described Sunday as a "peak day" at the Olympic Park with close to 160,000 people set to stream into the Barra sports hub. Walk-up ticket sales are still possible he said.

Rio 2016 has been working to resolve the problem of Saturday’s queues, which led to some fans arriving late for events while others with children abandoning lines and heading home.

Andrada said mag and bag security "remains our main priority". At the Deodoro Olympic Park where eight sports are being staged, he said "significant changes" had been made to address issues with a lack of food and beverage concessions.

Rio 2016 is deploying around 100 new people in logistics to ensure the problem does not rear up again.

After reports that some people have brought banners into venues protesting against the Brazilian government, Andrada said anyone caught doing this would be politely asked to stop or told to leave if they didn’t.

"The venues need to be clean of political, religious or commercial manifestations," he said. "A dialogue-based solution is better than confiscations at this point."

Empty Seats; Buses Off Course

Andrada blamed mag and bag troubles for some empty seats seen at several venues on day one of the Games.

"Our impression is that there is always room for improvement," he said, noting that women’s football, tennis and the first sessions of swimming had drawn good crowds.

No sport sessions have been sold out yet.

"I believe the Brazilian fans are learning how to love and how to appreciate different sports," he said, adding that officials were "very happy with the atmosphere" on the park.

"It was a magic night in the aquatics center last night. It’s a pleasure to see sports taking over," he added, after two world records in the swimming pool.

Reports of bus drivers getting lost was also in Rio 2016’s inbox of Games glitches. Andrada said routes had been simplified and drivers ordered to keep to the same routes.

Wind Blows Out Rowing

High winds on Sunday forced the postponement of the rowing competition.

World Rowing said it was "due to technical installation difficulties caused by the strong winds and the forecast for the afternoon which indicates adverse weather conditions".

Racing will get underway at 8:30 local time.

Reported by Mark Bissonin Rio de Janeiro

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