Report: IOC to remove itself from doping cases in Rio
The International Olympic Committee will remove itself from the handling of doping cases at the 2016 Rio Olympics, reports the Associated Press.
Instead of an IOC disciplinary panel dealing with the cases, as it did in the past, the Court of Arbitration for Sport will now handle all cases in order to keep the prosecution more independent.
“Athletes should be pleased,” CAS president John Coates said. “Suddenly they will appear before a hearing where the prosecutor and the judge are different people.”
According to the report, the new system will involve a panel of CAS arbitrators who will hear each case and issue rulings to athletes accordingly, without the intervention of the IOC. Appeals will be handled by a separate CAS division.
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Pro-bono lawyers will be granted to athletes by CAS if needed.
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The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro begin August 5.
