Russia allowed to compete at Rio Olympics

The International Olympic Committee have stopped short of banning the Russian team from competing under their national flag at Rio 2016, paving the way for the country’s 387-strong team to compete in Brazil next month.

The shock decision – made after a meeting of the IOC’s executive board on Sunday – comes despite Richard McLaren’s sensational, damning report into their state-sponsored doping programme.

The IOC announced that Russian athletes will be able to take part in the Games should they fulfil a strict set of criteria, while no one who has been sanctioned for any doping offences in the past will be allowed to compete.