Russian Olympic Medalists In Swimming Not Yet Cleared For Rio

The world ruling body for swimming denied reports in the Russian media on August 2 that swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev have been cleared to compete in the Rio Olympics.

Morozoz and Lobintsev were among the athletes implicated in a World Anti-Doping Agency report that found widespread doping and cover-ups in Russia, and the International Olympic Committee ruled that no one named in the report could take part in the Rio Games.

Morozov and Lobintsev appealed the committee's ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and their representatives told TASS that they had been cleared by the FINA swimming body after the court ruled in their favor.

But FINA said those reports were premature because the court's ruling was referred to a special Olympic commission that will make a final ruling on the eligibility of Russian athletes.

FINA also said it retested the samples taken from Russian athletes at last year's world championships in Kazan and they came up negative for drug use.

Lobintsev and U.S.-based Morozov were part of Russia's bronze-medal-winning freestyle team at the London 2012 Games, while Lobintsev also won silver in the 4-by-200 freestyle relay at Beijing in 2008.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and TASS