Ultimately, the fate of the team will be determined by the International Olympic Committee. However, as The Times notes, the IOC typically defers to the governing bodies of individual sports.

Russia has been banned from international competitions for the past seven months after the World Anti-Doping Agency accused Russia of what The Times describes as "an elaborate government-run doping program."

There is some feeling that the IOC could still allow athletes who have never tested positive for the drugs to compete. However, whistleblowers have alleged that many of the steroid users have never tested positive, The Times reports.