118 Russians Banned

Russia has its first win of the Olympics.

A total of 271 Russian athletes have been cleared to take part in the Rio Olympics, Alexander Zhukov, president of the Russian Olympics Committee, told reporters in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed the number in a statement issued in the evening.

The news means 118 competitors of the 389-strong Russian team have been banned from competing in Rio.

But it's still a victory for a nation that the independent World Anti-Doping Agency slammed for having what it called a state-sponsored doping program.

Critics had called for the entire team to be banned to show systematic cheating is unacceptable.

Four years ago, Russia sent 436 athletes to London 2012.

A three-person IOC panel had assessed which athletes from Russia can take part after the World Anti-Doping Agency report last month.

Hundreds of Russian athletes are in Brazil for the Games, which officially begin Friday. Many began moving into the Olympic Village on Thursday. Others began the trip home.

Earlier Thursday, The International Boxing Association Earlier Thursday, The International Boxing Association confirmed that all 11 Russian boxers registered for the Games had been cleared to compete by the IOC panel.

The International Judo Federation also stated that all Russian athletes who qualified for the Games will be able to compete. The International Shooting Sport Federation has also cleared 18 Russian shooters to compete in Rio.

The respective governing bodies of athletics and weightlifting, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Weightlifting Federation, had already decided that no Russian athletes will take part in their sports during the Games.

But Zhukov said long jumper Darya Klishina will be able to compete. It is unclear whether she will be competing for the Russian team or as an independent athlete. The IAAF has said Klishina, who is based in the United States, can compete as a "neutral athlete."

Although the Russian Weightlifting Federation appealed that decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), its petition was rejected Wednesday.

A number of Russian athletes were also banned from swimming, rowing and canoeing, although there was no blanket ban on competitors from the country in these sports.

Zhukov told reporters that no team has been drug tested as much as Russia.

"Each and every sportsperson was checked and tested, and the international federations checked them and they concluded and made the decision that there were negative ... a huge amount of negative test results that indicates that the huge amount of sportsmen are completely clean."