Putin to meet Russia’s dope-tainted Rio team

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his late-night meeting with the heads of Russia’s sports federations in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. AP file photo

President Vladimir Putin will meet Russia’s Olympic team on Wednesday as the list of its athletes banned from the Rio Games over state-run doping soares.

On Tuesday Rowing’s international governing body FISA banned 22 Russians, bringing the total number of those banned to more than 100, including 67 track and field athletes.

The International Olympic Committee had Sunday resisted imposing a blanket ban on Russia in favour of allowing individual sports federations to determine who can go to Rio.

Putin is to meet the team at the Kremlin before it receives a blessing from the head of the country’s Orthodox Church.