Rio 2016: Thomas Bach and IOC are weak and lack leadership on Russian doping, says Britain

The IOC’s decision not to ban the entire Russian delegation from Brazil has looked increasingly weak as the Games have progressed

IOC president Thomas Bach cut a sombre figure during the Rio opening ceremony (REUTERS)

The British delegation at the Rio Olympics piled new pressure on the International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Monday night, declaring that it was “disappointed” with his organisation’s weak response to evidence of state-sponsored Russian doping and implying he is failing to lead.

The IOC’s decision not to ban the entire Russian delegation from Brazil has looked increasingly weak as the Games have progressed, with the Paralympic movement’s eviscerating attack on the country’s doping culture adding to the pressure on Bach, who has a good relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Suspicion surrounding Russian competitors controversially cleared to compete led to boos for the country’s convicted drugs cheat Yulia Efimova on Sunday night and an open attack on her by the American swimmer Lilly King.

With Bach’s credibility as leader of the Olympic movement seriously damaged by his failure even to acknowledge Russian doping at the Rio Opening Ceremony, British Olympic Association vice-chairman Sir Hugh Robertson declared that the IOC was in need of reform.

The advances of corruption after the 1998 Salt Lake City host city voting scandal were being set back and too many of its decisions now looked “politically influenced” rather than for the benefit of sport, he said.

Robertson, the former Conservative sports minister, said: “The IOC, which had reformed itself quite spectacularly after [the] Salt Lake City, perhaps needs to undergo a process of further reform now. Frankly, I have been a bit disappointed by their response to this. There is no bigger threat to sport currently than doping and an organisation like the IOC has to take a tough line on it and provide some leadership.”

Bach continues to avoid public discussion of the decision neither to issue a blanket ban on Russian competitors nor to investigate the finds of last month’s report by Professor Richard McLaren, which detected a criminal regime of urine sample swapping.

On Monday, Bach was pursued through the main press centre here, pursued by hordes of journalists and cameramen.

The Russian culture of denial about doping was underlined hours earlier when its Paralympic chief Vladimir Lukin bizarrely claimed that the IPC had “pressured” him to admit to state doping during a three-hour cross-examination last week at the organisation’s base in Bonn, “What comes first, crime or punishment?” asked Lukin.

“I am familiar with Kafka, I am mentally prepared for a dose of the absurd. This dose is getting over the limit."

Russia have appealed their ban to the Court for Arbitration in Sport and say they remain confident of their delegation being accepted in Rio.

Robertson said that though aspects of the Rio preparation had been imperfect, Team GB did not want to give the impression of being arrogant or superior by being too critical “It’s enormously annoying when you get involved in some of the things that have been going on,” he said.

“But it is really important for us that we don’t come here and stick too many pins into it, particularly the local organising committee, because the suspicion will be that we are just doing this to big up London.

“I spoke to the team leaders at the last meeting before they left and I said ‘just remember Brits do have a reputation for this tough of arrogance in the international sports world and it’s really important that whatever the frustrations are we get behind this and are positive about it’. They will be particularly sensitive to any criticism from us so it’s really important we don’t get caught up in that.”