Russian T’tennis Players Cleared to Play at 2016 Olympic Games

After careful review of the criteria set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday following the release of the McLaren report, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has determined that the three Russian athletes qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be allowed to compete.

ITTF’s investigation of the matter included individual test analysis of these players outside the Russian anti-doping system, and confirmation by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that none of the concerned players were implicated in the McLaren findings released on 18 July 2016.

ITTF believes that the provided evidence meets the requirements of the IOC and confirms the eligibility of the three qualified Russian players Polina Mikhailova, Maria Dolgikh and Alexander Shibaev to play at Rio 2016.

If ITTF’s ongoing testing program and/or further findings from Prof. McLaren’s extended mandate reveals any potential anti-doping rule violation or wrongdoing, the ITTF will take immediate action to investigate and take sanction within the framework of the World Anti-Doping Code and the ITTF’s applicable regulations.

The ITTF will continue to take doping issues very seriously and do everything in its power to ensure that table tennis stays clean, not just at the Olympic Games, but in all levels of table tennis.

The Olympic table tennis event runs between 6-17 August at Riocentro Pavilion 3.