Thomas Bach, the IOC president overseeing one of the most damaging episodes in the history of Olympic sport, delivered a quite astonishing performance in Rio Sunday.
Accommodation the Australian team had criticised as ‘uninhabitable’ is part of a ‘fantastic athletes’ village’ - ‘splendid facilities’.
The stretch of water the sailors say is contaminated by sewage and, in some cases, even corpses to such an extent that they fear contracting viruses or other illnesses meets World Health Organisation standards.
And the doping crisis that leaves 250 Russian athletes and their rivals in limbo only days before the opening ceremony has not harmed the Games’ credibility.
Never mind that a three-man panel has only now been appointed to decide if those Russians will be allowed to remain in Brazil to compete. Bach , who also refused to offer a view on Vladimir Putin’s shameless attempts to deny any wrongdoing in his country, was not prepared to agree that there was a problem.
‘I don’t think this event will be damaging,’ said the German. ‘I trust people will realise the difficult situation we are in.
‘We did our best to address the situation in a way to protect clean athletes.’
Having failed to follow the recommendation of the World Anti-Doping Agency McLaren Report and issue a blanket ban for the Russians, the IOC instead adopted a three-step procedure that leaves the final decision to a panel appointed late on Saturday night.
‘The IOC is not responsible for the timing of the McLaren Report,’ Bach said in defending his organisation before explaining that the panel would now review the recommendations for each Russian athlete from the experts appointed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
‘We need to resolve the situation before the Games start and then, afterwards, we will have more time to analyse the situation and study it with a certain distance,’ he said.
Bach is known to enjoy a close relationship with President Putin and he was asked directly yesterday if his leniency was a result of pressure from his Russian political allies.
‘No, I haven’t been talking to any Russian government officials since the publication of the McLaren Report,’ he insisted.
He did say there would be 4 500 urine tests and 1 000 blood tests conducted during the Rio Games. ‘It’s all coming together,’ he said. ‘We are looking forward to a great Games in Rio.
‘There will, as always, be some last-minute challenges but we’ve seen that this can be addressed by our hosts.’
Never mind the 250 Russians still unsure as to whether or not they are participating just a few days before the Games.
Daily Mail