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The Russian President Vladimir Putin said a shadowy political plot had succeeded in unfairly stripping some Russian sportspeople of the right to compete at the Rio Olympics over doping allegations and promised to defend Russia's tarnished sporting reputation .
Addressing members of Russia's Olympic team in the Kremlin, Putin said a decision by global sporting organizations to ban Russian track-and-field athletes and sportspeople in everything from swimming to rowing flew in the face of common sense and legality. "The deliberate campaign targeting our athletes was characterized by so-called double standards and opted for the idea of collective responsibility, which is not compatible with sport, justice, or the basic norms of law," said Putin.
