IOC seeking 'legal advice' over banning Russia from Rio Olympics

London, July 19 (ANI): The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has delayed its decision on putting a possible blanket ban on the Russian athletes from the next month's Rio Olympics, stating that it is seeking legal advice before making any decision. The IOC officials held an emergency teleconference to discuss the report submitted by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren which revealed that Russia orchestrated state-sponsored doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. 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. After the meeting, the IOC said it is seeking legal advice on the matter before deciding that whether to impose a collective ban on all Russian athletes for the Summer Games, starting from August 5. The IOC, however, revealed that it had begun disciplinary actions against the Russian officials and other persons mentioned in the report, the Guardian reported. Meanwhile, the Russian Olympic Committee said the reports are so serious that they require a comprehensive investigation within the matter. The postponement came in the wake of the Court of Arbitration for Sport's hearing in Geneva into appeals from 68 track and field Russian athletes banned from competing in Rio by the International Association of Athletics Federations last month. The CAS verdict on the matter is due on Thursday.(ANI)