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Russia avoid Rio 2016 blanket ban despite widespread doping

Russia avoid a blanket ban that would have prevented all of the nation's athletes from competing at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Russian Federation have avoided a blanket ban from Rio 2016 to open the door for certain athletes to compete at the Games.

The International Olympic Committee will instead leave any decision over which competitors can take part to the individual sports' governing bodies

A damning report by law professor Richard McLaren, claiming that the nation operated a state-sponsored doping programme from 2011 to 2015, led to questions being asked over whether any athletes would be given the green light to compete.

Given the short time scale between the Court of Arbitration for Sport's report detailing the full extent of doping in Russian sport and the start of the Games next month, the decision has been taken to allow Russia to compete.

However, the ban on track and field athletes competing - upheld by CAS last week - will remain in place, while competitors who want to take part in the quadrennial event will have to meet strict criteria laid down by the International Olympics Committee.

Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt was among those to call on all Russian athletes to be banned from the competition.

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Jamaica's Usain Bolt smiles as he crosses the finish line to win gold in the Men's 4x100 metres at the World Championships in Moscow on August 18, 2013
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