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Integrity of the Olympics at stake according to David Goldblatt regarding the IOC's decision on Russia

 A report by Richard McLaren unveiled a systematic and widespread culture of doping in Russi...



Integrity of the Olympics at s...
Off The Ball Radio

Integrity of the Olympics at stake according to David Goldblatt regarding the IOC's decision on Russia

 A report by Richard McLaren unveiled a systematic and widespread culture of doping in Russian Athletics, which means the IOC is left with a decision as to whether they should allow Russian athletes compete at the 2016 Olympics.

The IOC have taken time before making a final decision and have recently said they would look at all legal options before making that decision.

According to David Goldblatt, however, Thomas Bach - IOC president - has no choice but to expel athletes from Russia from competing at the games.

Goldblatt explained how no team had ever been kicked out having been invited in. There have been exclusions such as, "South Africa and Rhodesia, over issues of apartheid and it required many years of campaigning within the IOC and beyond it to get them excluded," Goldblatt explains.

The writer says that the elimination of a nation as big as Russia can hurt the very Olympic brand but that they simply must expel them from the games given the findings in McLaren's report.

Goldblatt, who wrote a book about the Olympics, told Joe on Off The Ball that: "They really simply have to exclude the Russian Olympic committee, given the evidence against it and given that the president of the IOC Thomas Bach has made support for the integrity of sport and clean sport absolutely central to his reforms at the Olympics."

"I can't see that they have any choice. I think they're giving themselves a moment's room for manouvre by awaiting the outcome of the court of arbitration of sport's ruling of the whole question of doping in Russian athletics and to take, no doubt, legal counsel and the political temperature."

"I really think they have no choice. How much more blatant? How much more systematic? How much more contrary to what little is left of Olympian values that Thomas Bach and the IOC are seeking to represent. It's a must and if not this then the game is up."

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