RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The IOC approved the entry of 271 Russian athletes for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Thursday, meaning 70 percent of the country's original team will compete in the games after the scandal over state-sponsored doping.
Also Thursday, the IOC's rule barring Russian athletes with prior doping sanctions from competing in the games was rejected as "unenforceable" by an Olympic sports arbitration panel.
The International Olympic Committee announced the go-ahead for 271 Russian athletes on Thursday night, about 24 hours before the opening ceremony of the games.
The IOC recently rejected calls from anti-doping organizations to ban Russia's entire team following a report by a World Anti-Doping Agency investigator that detailed evidence of state-directed doping and cover-ups.