Brna, Jul 29.- The International Cycling Union (ICU) excluded six Russian athletes from participation in the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next month, because of doping problems.
A communique sent from the ICU in the city of Aigle (Switzerland) said Thursday that the Russian cylists had doping records or were mentioned at the McLaren Report ordered by the World Antidoping Agency (WAA), which reported that "three athletes chosen by the Russian Olympic Committee, were potentially involved in doping problems."
The ICU said it has sent its decision to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when there is a little more than a week for the start of the Olympic Games.
The other three that were vetoed for Rio, had already been sanctioned in the past by the use of illegal substances.
According to the Russian press, in the latter case, Ilnur Zakarin (winner of a stage in the recently concluded Tour of France) and Olga Zabelinskaya, in addition to Serguéi Shilov, member of the track team, are also sanctioned.
The ICU added that the remaining 11 athletes selected by Russia fulfill the requisites established on July 24 by the COI to take part in the next Olympic Games.
More than 250 Russian sportsmen have received the authorization to compete in Brazil, but according to the president of the National Olympic Committee, Alexandr Zhúkov, there are still many that are in expectation of receiving the approval.
Of the original list of 387 sportsmen included in the Russian Olympic team, already 68 athletes have fallen down, 20 rowers, seven swimmers and five canoeists, but casualties are expected among the powerlifters.
Last Sunday, the IOC delegated in the international federations the decision to designate or not the Russian athletes for the Games of Rio.
The decision is based on three criteria: to never have been sanctioned by doping, not to appear in the McLaren Report, and to have been submitted regularly to control antidoping abroad.