The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision not to issue a blanket ban on Russia has been questioned by Rio-bound athletes.
The IOC rejected calls for Russia to be banned from next month's event over the nation's doping record, instead ruling that decisions on individual competitors will be left to the international sports federations.
The ruling has left the IOC open to accusations for the lack of punishment, with Olympic heroes such as six-time track cycling champion Chris Hoy and four-time Olympian Paula Radcliffe left bemused by the message it sent to athletes from other countries.
American long-distance runner Kara Goucher took a different approach and questioned why the rules for previously convicted Russian drug cheats and other countries didn't match up.
For Russian individuals to be allowed to compete at Rio they must have a spotless international record on drug testing, the IOC said, adding athletes who have been sanctioned in the past for doping will not be eligible.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee released a statement on Monday morning backing the decision, saying they were satisfied the IOC had "considered the issues with the utmost care, balancing individual justice with collective responsibility".
The support wasn't exactly shared by Kiwi rower Eric Murray, who questioned if the IOC had made a mistake in the initial press release.
However, Drug Free Sport New Zealand boss Graeme Steel slammed the IOC decision not to issue a blanket ban on Russian athletes.
Steel said the IOC failed to show adequate leadership in protecting the integrity of sport.
"The decision of the IOC to not take matters into their own hands but pass on the hot potato to international federations shows a lack of will to back the core principles of their organisation with hard decisions," Steel said.
Former New Zealand Olympian Dick Quax told Paul Henry he was disappointed by the lack of courage shown by the IOC.
"For any athlete who goes to the Olympics and has been tested and retested, as a lot of New Zealand athletes have been, it's going to be very disappointing," said Quax.
"It's going to cast a question over the whole Olympic movement."
Watch the video above for the full interview with Quax.
Newshub.
