Olympic officials announced Sunday the partial reversal of a complete ban on Russian athletes from the games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next month.
“All Russian athletes seeking entry to the Olympic Games Rio 2016 are considered to be affected by a system subverting and manipulating the anti-doping system,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement released Sunday.
Russian athletes will now have to prove their innocence and pass rigorous drug testing in order to compete. The new ruling by the IOC comes after a state-run doping scandal was discovered.
“This may not please everybody on either side,” IOC President Thomas Bach told the New York Times. “But still the result today is one which is respecting the rules of justice.”
The decision comes 12 days before millions around the world flock to South America for the summer games.
