Russian Olympic Committee to report to IOC summit on June 21

Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) president Alexander Zhukov will make a report at the summit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne on June 21, which is expected to decide on the country's track and field athletes participation in the Summer Olympic Games.

"I shall go to the summit, which is due on June 21 in Lausanne," he told TASS on Saturday. "I shall make a report."

On Friday, IAAF decided at its session to keep in force the suspension of the All-Russian Athletics Federation's (ARAF) membership. The suspension means that Russian field and track athletes are currently ineligible to take part in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, TASS reported.

However, the IOC may decide at its June 21 session to admit Russian athletes to the Rio Olympics.

Zhukov also said the athletes who had passed independent doping tests may be allowed in the Games.

"Not everything is clear, and lawyers will look into it," he told reporters. "The information is the athletes, who passed independent tests, may be allowed, for the last six months our athletes' tests were taken by officers of the UK Agency. Thus, we do have chances."

The independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published on November 9 the results of its probe into the activities of the ARAF, the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and the Russian Sports Ministry.

The commission accused certain athletes and sports officials of doping abuse and involvement in other activities related to violations of international regulations on performance enhancing substances.

RUSADA and the Moscow anti-doping laboratory subsequently suspended their activities, while WADA's Board of Founders approved the decision of the agency's independent committee that RUSADA did not comply with the Code of the international anti-doping organization.

The IAAF said at its Council meeting in November that a report prepared by the ARAF on the struggle against doping was unsatisfactory and decided by a majority of votes to suspend Russia's membership in the international athletics association.

The Olympic Games are due from August 5-21.

--IANS

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