The International Olympic Committee says it will decide 'within seven days' on whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games over a doping scandal.

Following an emergency conference on Tuesday, the IOC's executive board said that no country has ever been excluded from participating at the Olympics over doping. They said if a ban were to be issued, it would be an unprecedented move.

The IOC said they would study the "legal options" regarding a prospective Russian suspension. Earlier, sixty-eight Russian athletes appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, challenging the collective punishment, saying some team members had never tested positive in drug trials. The IOC has responded that it will have further talks with Russia in the coming days following the court's ruling.