Olympics without Russia would be 'a real tragedy', says Russian sports chief

Russian sports chief Alexander Zhukov has delivered a forceful defence of Russia’s right to compete at the Rio Games, saying it would be a “real tragedy” if any of the team were sent home.

During a highly-charged meeting of the International Olympic Committee’s membership, Zhukov blamed the World Anti-Doping Agency for failing to address Russia’s problems sooner and attacked world athletics’ governing body for not giving Russian athletes a chance to prove themselves clean.

In a remarkable speech, the Russian Olympic Committee president also claimed WADA’s investigations into endemic cheating in the world’s largest country were part of a politically-motivated attack by Russia’s rivals, a move he said was an assault on Olympic values.