The International Olympic Committee faces mounting pressure to decide whether to exclude the entire Russian team from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after world's top sports tribunal rejected Russia's appeal to lift the ban on its track and field athletes from competing in the upcoming Games.
On Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the appeal by Russian track and field federation and 68 athletes against their Olympic exclusion by athletics world governing body IAAF.
The ruling came three days after the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) issued a statement recommending IOC to suspend the whole Russian team from the 2016 Games due to an independent investigation conclusion that accused Russia of running a "state-dictated failsafe system" of drug cheating in 30 sports at the 2014 Sochi Games and other major events.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) said it was disappointed with the CAS ruling, which made possible punishing clean athletes for the guilt of others.
"We are absolutely convinced that individual responsibility neither may, nor must extend to the innocent," the ROC statement said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the CAS decision and accusations against the Russian athletes a "blow to the world sport."
She quoted U.S. columnist Paul Craig Roberts as saying that Washington was behind this campaign, which is aimed not only "to provide that U.S. athletes win more medals," but also "to isolate Russia and to build opposition to President Vladimir Putin inside Russia."
Russian athletes also expressed anger and disappointment towards IAAF's decision. They think it is only fair to ban the ones who actually cheated, but not the others who worked hard for their games.
Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva even called this ruling the "funeral of athletics" and a completely political decision.
Only one Russian track and field athlete, Darya Klishina, has been cleared to participate in the Rio Olympics by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), but it still has to be endorsed by the IOC.
WADA voiced support to the ruling on Thursday, claiming it helps ensure a "level" playing field at next month's Games.
"It is now up to other international federations to consider their responsibilities under the World Anti-Doping Code as it relates to their Russian national federations and up to the International Olympic Committee... to consider its responsibilities under the Olympic Charter," the WADA statement said.
Leaders of 14 anti-doping agencies urged IOC to take toughest sanctions and ban entire Russian team from the Olympics. The countries represented in the letter include the United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and Austria.
However, not all international sports bodies were supporting a blanket ban with the International Judo Federation (IJF) and International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) insisting all clean athletes should be allowed to take part in Rio.
"We believe that the Olympic Games should give a message of unity and solidarity, to all the athletes and all the people of the world," said IJF president Marius Vizer.
"We hope that by allowing participation of Russian athletes in Rio 2016, we will send out a positive message to all the young people who deserve to be given examples of friendship instead of examples of Cold War."
That view was echoed by the FIG officials.
"Whilist FIG fully supports the IOC's policy of 'Zero Tolerance in Doping' , it strongly feels that not all Russian athletes of all sports should be banned and found guilty for actions in other sports and federations," the FIG said in a statement.
FIG President Bruno Grandi stated: "The rights of every individual athlete must be respected. Participation at the Olympic Games is the highest goal of athletes who often sacrifice their entire youth to this aim. The right to participate at the Games cannot be stolen from an athlete, who has duly qualified and has not be found guilty of doping. Blanket bans have never been and will never be just."
The CAS ruling is not binding on the IOC which is scheduled to hold an emergency executive board meeting Sunday to consider the issue. In a statement Thursday, the IOC said it "takes note" of the CAS ruling upholding the track and field ban.
"We will now have to study and analyze the full decision," the IOC said. "The IOC decision on the participation of the Russian athletes will be taken in the coming days."
