Russia’s track and field decision could decide the fate of entire Russia team

THE Olympic Charter may provide a path to eject Russia from Rio but will officials have the courage to make the call? Or will the decision be easier made for them?

Russia's national drug-testing laboratory in Moscow.

The Olympic Charter may provide a path to eject Russia from the Rio Games but will officials have the courage to make the earth-quaking call?

This is the question hanging in the air after the International Olympic Committee postponed until the end of the week a decision whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games.

The IOC wants to explore its legal options because no country has ever been fully banned from a Games for doping its athletes so this is uncharted and potentially treacherous territory.

Russia’s track and field team have already been banned from the Games due to systematic drug use and their appeal verdict will be handed down on Thursday by the Court of Arbritration for Sport.

This decision could decide the fate of the entire Russian squad.

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If CAS supports the ban then the IOC is tipped to follow suit and ban the entire team.

But if CAS even partially lifts some of the bans then banning the entire team could be too difficult.

Rule 59 of the Olympic charter says national Olympic committees must take responsibility for administrating the WADA drug code and take measures to ensure the health of their athletes.

Clearly Russia did not take these measures and there are many influential voices in the Olympic movement who want to see them frogmarched off the plank for the breach of this rule.

Conversely, Russian sympathisers believe there is enough leeway in the loosely worded charter to challenge any ban.

Twenty of the 28 Games sports featured Russia athletes who returned positive swabs, though representatives of international volleyball, gymnast and table tennis associations feel the Russians should be allowed to compete at the Games.

IOC president Thomas Bach has stalled on making a decision to ban Russia.

But the matter is complex even for the fact that if Russia appealed a ban — as they almost certainly would — the verdict has a small time frame to be heard by CAS before the Games start on August 5.

The prospect of athletes arriving for the Games and then possibly being sent home would tarnish the entire Games.

The one certainty appears to be that the Russian crisis will cast a pall over the Games.

If Russia are allowed to compete they may well be jeered into the opening ceremony and throughout the competition.

If they are banned there will be major gaps in competition schedules and their appeal process could mar the final two weeks before the Games.

Originally published as Russia’s track and field decision could decide the fate of entire Russia team