© Vladimir Astapkovich / Sputnik
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation has announced a reversal on the provisional suspension of four Russian skeleton athletes.
"There is not (yet) sufficient evidence against the athletes that would justify the provisional suspension," IBSF announced in a statement.
The ruling gives the green light for the four Russian athletes to compete at the skeleton European Cup to be held in Winterberg, Germany on January 14-15.
Two of the Russian athletes won medals at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
RT: This latest decision to overturn the suspension of four Russian athletes because the evidence isn't sufficient, feels similar to the ban right before the Olympic Games in Rio, where there seemed to be a lack of evidence too. This keeps repeating, doesn't it?
Ellis Cashmore: It does. This insufficient evidence is actually quite damning when you think about it. There is an implicit critique of the credibility of the McLaren report. The international Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation originally accepted the McLaren Report, like anybody else in the world - apart from Russia, of course - and now it seems to have said: "We will ask the IOC: could we see the evidence?" And that evidence has not been forthcoming. Thus they feel that in the interests of natural law and justice they cannot sustain the suspension on the athletes. So they have said: "Ok, we'll take away the suspension and we'll see how we get on from this point. Let's see if the evidence turns up." My guess is that it probably won't.
Comment: What a shill.