Olympics: Sport divided as Russia escapes blanket doping ban

The International Olympic Committee's decision not to ban Russia from the Rio Games over state-run doping left international sports leaders divided on Monday, less than two weeks before the opening ceremony.

Seeking to justify Sunday's decision, IOC president Thomas Bach said an outright ban would trample the rights of clean Russian athletes who are hoping to compete at the upcoming Games.

Individual sports federations will have primary responsibility for determining every Russian athlete's eligibility for Rio, the IOC executive said.

The World Anti-Doping Agency last week called for Russia to be banned after detailing how Russia's sports ministry had directed a massive cheating programme with help from the FSB state intelligence agency.