Six Russian athletes provisionally confirmed to sail at Rio Olympic Games

Pavel Sozykin/Denis Gribanov (RUS5) on day 3 of the 470 Worlds in Haifa © Aquazoom / Ronan Topelberg

Following a conference call earlier today with its Board of Directors, World Sailing have provisionally confirmed the participation of six athletes from Russia for the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games:

• Stefania Elfutina (RS:X Women)
• Maksim Oberemko (RS:X Men)
• Liudmila Dmitrieva (470 Women)
• Alisa Kirilyuk (470 Women)
• Sergey Komissarov (Laser Men)
• Denis Gribanov (470 Men)

The World Sailing Board carefully reviewed the decision taken earlier this week by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which determined that decisions regarding the eligibility of athletes for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games would be made by the International Federations; the criteria set forth by the IOC to determine eligibility; the rules and procedures of World Sailing; the anti-doping records of each athlete; and the results of the McLaren Investigation Report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

One athlete, Pavel Sozykin, was denied eligibility, based upon the findings of the McLaren Investigation Report. As Sozykin competes in the 470 Men's Class, which is a two-person racing classification, World Sailing has recommended that the Russian Olympic Committee will have the opportunity to nominate a late athlete replacement.

The decision was communicated today, in writing, to the International Olympic Committee, the Russian Yachting Federation and the individual athletes.

The decision taken by World Sailing must be now be confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The six athletes provisionally confirmed today are in Rio de Janeiro preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games. At the direction of World Sailing, the athletes will be subject to further anti-doping testing and these tests will be sent to a WADA-accredited laboratory for analysis. As with any anti-doping test, an adverse analytical finding would render an athlete ineligible for the Games.

With regard to the upcoming Paralympic Games, no athletes from Russia had achieved the Paralympic Qualification Standard.

World Sailing Chief Executive Officer, Andy Hunt said, "The World Sailing Board of Directors carefully considered all relevant factors in making these determinations, including the guidance provided by the IOC, the results of the McLaren Investigation Report and our own rules and procedures.

"This is unprecedented territory for international sport as, collectively, we work to protect the integrity of sport and remain resolute in our commitment to eliminate doping. These efforts must be balanced with principles of fairness, due process and adherence to established rules.

"There is, however, no room in sailing for athletes who seek to gain an unfair advantage through the use of banned substances or who attempt to manipulate or subvert the anti-doping system. For World Sailing, there is no greater priority than protecting and preserving clean competition."