The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering suspending the Russian Track and Field team from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The team is already banned from competing in events run by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The news came after a New York Times report saying Russian agents tampered with urine samples during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The Times talked with the former head of Russia’s anti-doping agency. He said the Russians collected clean urine from athletes before the Games. They then substituted the clean urine for samples showing evidence of drug use. Thomas Bach is the head of the IOC. He said the organization is considering different types of punishments for the Russian team. He did not rule out banning Russia’s entire team from the Games. Bach said if the allegations were true, they would represent an “unprecedented level of criminality.” The doping problems with Olympic athletes are not limited to the 2014 Games. Thirty-one athletes from around the world may be banned from this year’s Olympics in Rio.
