IOC bans 118 Russian athletes from Rio on day before Games begin

The International Olympic Committee has banned 118 Russian athletes from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The IOC announced the decision Thursday night, about 24 hours before the opening ceremony of the games.

The 271 approved athletes come from Russia's original entry list of 389. The IOC asked international sports federations to decide which Russian athletes should be cleared to compete after a review of their doping records.

That followed an investigation for the World Anti-Doping Agency that detailed state-sponsored cheating in Russia.

The final decision on entries was up to a three-member IOC panel, which received advice from an independent sports arbitrator.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.