Russia doping scandal: Sanctions extended by the International Olympic Committee

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More than 100 Russian athletes were banned from the Rio Olympic Games

Doping sanctions against Russia have been extended until further notice by the International Olympic Committee.

Measures against the country were imposed in July after the first part of a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada)-commissioned report found evidence of state-sponsored doping.

Part two of the McLaren report will be published on Friday.

Russian track and field athletes and weightlifters were banned from competing at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Wada recommended a blanket ban, but Russia eventually took 271 athletes from an original entry list of 389 competitors after the International Olympic Committee(IOC) left it up to individual sports to decide.

However, the entire nation was banned from the Paralympics by the International Paralympic Committee.

On Wednesday, the IOC executive board took the decision to "extend the provisional measures... against Russia until further notice", two days before McLaren's full report is released in London.

Part one of his report, published in November 2015, revealed a widespread state-backed scheme in Russia to rig drug tests at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and Paralympics - and part two is expected to reveal further details.

"The evidence provided by Professor McLaren in his investigation has to be evaluated, and those implicated have to be given the right to be heard," said the IOC board.

"This includes the athletes, the Russian Ministry of Sport, and other implicated persons and organisations."

Current measures include a request to all sports federations to "freeze their preparations" for major events in Russia.

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