© Michael Klimentyev / Sputnik
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the meeting with the national Olympic team before its sendoff to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Kremlin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the introduction of unified international standards for doping controls, and for both athletes and sports fans to have easy access to all necessary information.
"Russia must show that it is fully committed to a clean and honest fight and that it is ready for a real partnership with the sporting world in its opposition to the use of doping," Putin said.
The Russian head of state was speaking at the Kremlin, where he was meeting with more than 150 athletes who will soon depart for Rio de Janeiro to take part in next month's Olympic Games. However, he was scathing about the fact that a number of clean Russian athletes will be denied the opportunity to represent their country at the Games. "
A number of Russian athletes have unfairly suffered and there was no concrete evidence of doping against them," he said, while also mentioning that the absence of dozens of Russian athletes would only serve to make the events less interesting.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) banned 67 Russian athletes from competing in Rio, with only the US-based long jumper Darya Klishina being allowed to represent Russia. "Russia cannot agree with the absolute disqualification of our track and field athletes," Putin said, adding that this was "open discrimination" and that they would fight to clear their names.
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