IOC extends doping sanctions on Russia `until further notice`

London [UK], Dec. 8 (ANI): The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has extended the extended the doping sanctions against Russia "until further notice". In July, measures against the country were imposed after the first part of a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-commissioned report found evidence of state-sponsored doping. Richard McLaren in his report stated that Russia's secret service and top sporting authorities conspired to cover up widespread doping, substituting doping-tainted samples with clean ones during the Winter Games in Russia. The measures imposed after McLaren had released an interim version of his report into state-sponsored doping in Russia included a ban on Olympic accreditation for officials from Russia's ministry of sport, the removal of IOC "patronage" to any sports event in Russia, the reanalysis of every Russian sample from the 2014 Winter Olympics and a request to all sports federations to "freeze their preparations" for major events in the country, reports the Guardian. In a statement released after the second day of a three-day gathering of the IOC's executive board in Lausanne on Wednesday, the Olympic bosses said, "The facts on which these allegations are based in the interim report (18 July 2016) go to the heart of the Olympic Games and are a fundamental attack on their integrity. This is why the IOC had asked WADA to extend the mandate of Prof. McLaren to complete his work and to present his extended and final report. The Executive Board would like to reiterate its appreciation of the work that has been done by Prof. McLaren." "In order for the competent bodies, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to draw the relevant conclusions, due process now has to be followed. The evidence provided by Prof. McLaren in his investigation has to be evaluated, and those implicated have to be given the right to be heard. This includes the athletes, the Russian Ministry of Sport, and other implicated persons and organizations." "Once all the evidence has been considered, the IOC Executive Board will then issue the appropriate measures and sanctions related to the Olympic Games. The IOC Executive Board has further decided to extend the provisional measures taken on 19 July 2016 against Russia until further notice," the statement stated. Part two of the McLaren report is expected to be published on Friday. Russian track and field athletes and weightlifters were banned from competing at the Rio 2016 Olympics. While the country's 68 track and field athletes were barred from competing in Rio, 271 Russian athletes were earlier given a clean chit to compete in the Brazilian capital.(ANI)