MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin blamed politics for the doping scandal that has led to the barring of more than 100 Russian athletes from the coming Rio Games, saying that the absence of some Russian athletes will devalue the medals of other Olympians and render their victories “tasteless.”
Speaking in one of the grand halls of the Kremlin on Wednesday, Mr. Putin told members of the Russian Olympic team, including those barred from Rio, that they fell victim to “double standards” imposed by “short-sighted politicians.”