DOPING: Russian track and field athletes thrown out of Rio

Moscow, Russia | AFP |

World athletics’ governing body IAAF has ruled to maintain Russia’s suspension, a top Russian athletics official confirmed Friday, TASS news agency reported.

“I can confirm, the suspension is upheld,” Mikhail Butov, general secretary of the Russian athletics federation, told TASS. “I cannot give any more comments for the time being.”

Russia’s sports minister said the decision had been expected in Moscow and pledged to respond.

“The suspension of the Russian athletic federation is an expected decision, we could have assumed this,” Vitaly Mutko told TASS news agency. “We will react.”

“We are extremely disappointed by the IAAF’s decision to uphold the ban on all of our track and field athletes, creating the unprecedented situation of a whole nation’s track and field athletes being banned from the Olympics,” the sports ministry said in a statement.

 Pole vault star Isinbayeva to challenge IAAF decision in court

Pole vault star Yelena Isinbayeva said Friday she would challenge in court the IAAF decision to uphold Russia’s suspension that would sideline Russian athletes from the Olympic Games in Rio.

“This is a human rights violation. I will not remain silent, I will take measures,” she told TASS news agency. “I will appeal to the human rights court,” she said, without specifying in which court she planned to challenge the ruling.

IAAF taskforce summary: pic.twitter.com/Llda4xSPjx

— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) June 17, 2016