Rio 2016: Putin Slams Ban On Russian Athletes

Russian track and field athletes who have been banned from the Rio Olympics are victims of a "deliberate campaign", Vladimir Putin has claimed.

During an address to members of Russia's Olympic team, Mr Putin hit out at the IAAF after it upheld a ban on 67 Russian track and field athletes amid claims over state-sponsored doping.

International Association of Athletics president Sebastian Coe dismissed an appeal from Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, telling him: "There are no grounds for further review".

Mr Putin claimed the decision defied "law regulations and common sense".

He said: "The deliberate campaign targeting our athletes was characterised by so-called double standards and opted for the idea of collective responsibility, which is not compatible with sport, justice in general, or the basic norms of law."

The Russian president added: "This is a blow to the entire sporting world and to the Olympic Games.

"It is obvious that the absence of Russian sportspeople, leaders in many sporting disciplines, will significantly affect the intensity of the competition and diminish the spectator value of the forthcoming events."

The IAAF decision comes after a report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren, alleging a doping cover-up at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

Mr McLaren's report specifically detailed how Russian state officials allegedly intervened to hide hundreds of failed drug tests and "oversaw the manipulation of athletes' analytical results or sample swapping".

At least 105 Russian athletes have now been barred from Rio 2016.

While the nation's fencing, volleyball, beach volleyball and gymnastics teams have all been cleared, new International Olympic Committee rules have resulted in bans for athletes who have previously doped.

Alexander Dyachenko, an Olympic champion in 2012, was among five canoeists ruled out after being named in the McLaren report.

London 2012 bronze medal winning canoeist Alexey Korovashkov has also been barred, along with Andrei Kraitor, Elena Anyushina and Nataliya Podolskaya.

In a statement the International Canoe Federation said: "If you step out of line you won't make the start line."

Swimming's world governing body FINA has ruled out seven Russians, including reigning world 100m breaststroke champion Yulia Efimova.

In all there are now 22 Russian rowers who have been excluded from participation in Rio.

They include Ivan Podshivalov and Anastasia Karabelshchikova, who were banned because they previously served doping bans.

Another rower, Ivan Balandin, was barred after being implicated in the McLaren report, World Rowing said.