Russia's 2016 Track & Field ban

[Mr. E]

In one of the more surprising moves leading up to the Rio Games was the unanimous decision by the International Association of Athletic Federations to uphold a ban on Russian athletes in Track & Field due to systematic doping practices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/18/sports/olympics/russia-barred-rio-summer-olympics-doping.html

Personally, I was surprised by this move. No one is disputing the Russians' guilt in the past; but I figured that the official line would be "Well, they've been making strides towards correcting things, so they can compete."

Looks like that was not popular sentiment with the I.A.A.F. or with many athletes around the world who have been frustrated by what the Russians have been accused of over the years.

The IOC has stated that no other sports would be punished by the I.A.A.F. due to the Track & Field violations.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-bach-idUSKCN0ZT25W

Is this move fair? Are there external politics at play? Is the Russian Track & Field program getting what they deserve?

I'm of many minds of this. On one hand, there should be consequences for organized cheating activities like doping. On the other hand I absolutely hate the idea of innocent participants losing the opportunity to compete at the highest level due to the actions of others.