Russian athletes bid farewell to people at the Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, Russia, July 28, 2016. About 70 Russian athletes left Moscow on Thursday for Rio de Janeiro to take part in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Those athletes are from Russian national teams of volleyball, handball, boxing, table tennis, synchronised swimming and equestrian. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)
A three-member International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board panel has been selected to make final decisions on the eligibility of all Russian athletes competing at Rio 2016, the IOC said on Saturday.
The panel will be made up of IOC Athletes' Commission chairwoman Claudia Bokel of Germany, IOC Medical Commission chairman Ugur Erdener of Turkey and Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a press conference that the trio will make rulings based on independent advice from arbitrators from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
"It is important the IOC takes the final decision based on independent advice," said Adams.
He added that the process would be completed by Friday, the day the Games open.
