FINA has ruled that seven Russian swimmers, including breaststroke medal hopeful Yulia Efimova, are ineligible to compete in the Rio Olympics, world swimming's governing body said on Monday.
Russian Yulia Efimova, who won two Olympic silver medals this month after being cleared to compete in Rio following a doping ban, has compared swimming in the Games to being at war. Initially excluded from the event because of her doping record, the 24-year-old won a last-minute legal challenge to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and finished second in the 100 and 200 metres breaststroke in Brazil. "I felt under pressure from the sportsmen, the fans, the press. This was awful and it was not like being at an Olympics, which usually unites people. This was not a competition, but a war - a old war," Efimova told a news conference on Wednesday.
Russia's Yulia Efimova faces a life ban after the breaststroke specialist tested positive for meldonium, with her temporary suspension confirmed by the All-Russian Swimming Federation (ARSF) on Thursday.
Weakened and bruised by sport's biggest doping scandal in decades, Russia is under siege at the Rio Games.
Russian swimming chief Vladimir Salnikov said on Tuesday the atmosphere surrounding his team at the Olympics reminded him of the Cold War, and criticised American breaststroke champion Lilly King for attacking the integrity of her Russian rival.
Michael Phelps backed compatriot Lilly King's attitude toward Russian Yulia Efimova at the Olympics on Monday and said more people should follow her lead.
Two swimmers made the biggest waves in Rio, Michael Phelps racing to retirement as the greatest of all time and US team mate Ryan Lochte slipping out of the country before police could stop him.
Sun Yang became the first Chinese swimmer to win the Olympic men's 200 metres freestyle gold medal on Monday.
Here is the current state of play among the 28 Olympic sports.
Freestyle queen Katie Ledecky made sure of her third swimming gold medal of the Rio Olympics, and fourth of her career, after anchoring the US women to victory in the 4x200 meters relay on Wednesday.
Australia will not apologise to China after Mack Horton called his rival and fellow Olympic swimming gold medallist Sun Yang a ''drug cheat'', delegation head Kitty Chiller said on Tuesday.
Chinese Olympic women's swimmer Chen Xinyi tested positive for a banned substance at the Rio Olympics on August 7, state media said on Friday citing the country's swimming association, the latest doping scandal to mar competition at the Games.
All 11 Russian boxers who qualified for the Rio Olympics have been given the all clear to compete at the Games, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) said on Thursday.
Poland's Magdalena Fularczyk-Kozlowska and Natalia Madaj edged past Britain's Katherine Grainger and Victoria Thornley in the final meters of the race to snatch the gold medal in the women's double sculls at the Olympic rowing regatta on Thursday. The nail-biter saw the two boats neck-and-neck for much of the race. Britain led Poland by just .64 seconds at the halfway mark and appeared poised to win.
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