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Azerbaijan supports Russia’s stance on suspension of athletes from Rio Olympics

22 July 2016 21:04 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan supports Russia’s stance on suspension of athletes from Rio Olympics

Azerbaijan fully supports Russia’s stance regarding suspension of Russian track and field athletes from the Rio Olympics, Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijani youth and sports minister, told Trend July 22.

“We are worried along with Russia, because we have long-standing close and friendly relations,” he said. “We support each other and I strongly believe there must not be any collective responsibility for such issues in sports.”

“Pierre de Coubertin created the Olympic Games as an individual fight of athletes, only then the idea of making team competitions appeared,” he said. “It is wrong when the athletes who have dedicated their lives to sport, made efforts to achieve results and gain success in the Olympic Games are deprived of everything because of the problem which is not associated with them.”

RIA Novosti reported that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced about publication of the McLaren Investigation Report, which was released July 18 by Professor Richard H. McLaren during a press conference in Toronto, Canada.

Richard McLaren’s report says “the Russian government oversaw widespread doping across a range of sports, including at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.”

WADA recommended the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee is expected to make a final decision on Russia's participation in the 2016 Rio Games on July 24.

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