IOC clears 70% of Russian team for Rio Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Thursday that 271 Russians are eligible to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games, which start on Friday.

The IOC decided not to ban Russia's entire Olympic team over evidence of state-sponsored doping, leaving any decision on the matter to the international sports federations.

The Russian athletes now eligible to compete all underwent investigations by one domestic and three international panels: the Russian federation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and an IOC panel.

The CAS said Thursday that an IOC rule barring Russian athletes with a prior doping sanction from competing in the Olympics was "unenforceable."

The earlier IOC decision was made on the basis of a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which called on a blanket ban for Russians in Rio.

The court decision came after an appeal by two Russian rowers, Anastasia Karabelshivo and Ivan Podshivalov, who both received two-year doping bans in 2008.

Russia will have "the cleanest team" at Rio 2016, said Alexander Zhukov, the head of the country's Olympic Committee.

Five athletes - three track cyclists, a wrestler and a canoeist - are still waiting to hear if they can take part. The final number will be revealed on Friday, Zhukov said.

Any Russian who has served a doping ban will not be eligible for the Olympics. Russia's entire track and field team - 67 athletes - has been completely banned following an earlier decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

jbh/cmk (AP, dpa)