Banned Russian Olympians host their own tournament with little fanfare ca.yahoo.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed the doping allegations against his country’s athletes, calling the charges unproven and saying the suspension from the 2016 Rio Games was discrimination. The “Stars 2016” tournament included 68 banned Olympians, featuring considerably fewer stars than will be present at the upcoming Rio Games. Russian athletes who won events at the local tournament were awarded 100,000 rubles, equivalent to about $1,500.