(20 Jul 2016) Young Russian tennis players spoke about their hopes and fears for the future of their sport on Wednesday, amid a doping scandal that is threatening Russia's participation at the Rio Olympics.
With just over two weeks until the opening ceremony, Russia still doesn't know whether its athletes — all or even some — will be competing in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. It may all come down to the lawyers.
While the International Olympic Committee decided on Tuesday to ban from the Rio Games all Russian Sports Ministry officials and other administrators implicated in allegations of a state-run doping program, it delayed a ruling on whether to take the unprecedented step of barring the entire Russian Olympic team.
In the Sverdlovsk Regional Youth Tennis Championships sixty-four young athletes are participating - 32 girls and 32 boys - who say are worried about the fate of Russian sport.
One of them said it would be unfair to disqualify the Russian Olympic team, while others said a ban would have a big impact on Russian athletes, especially if playing abroad was prohibited.
Anton Martianov, the father of a tennis player at the competition, said his family will still watch the Olympics, and that he hopes the Russian team will compete successfully at the games.
Many of these young tennis players once viewed Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova as a role model, before she was banned from competing in Rio and other sport events on doping charges.
The Grand Slam winner was suspended from playing tennis for two years in June, including the Rio Olympics, for failing a drugs test at the Australian Open.
The winners of the tennis youth championship of Sverdlovsk region will be announced on Friday and they'll have the chance to perform at national level.
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