Russia's athletics federation has been provisionally suspended from competition following revelations of widespread, state-sponsored doping.
The International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) council voted 22-1 in favour of the sanction.
A possible ban on Russian athletes in the 2016 Olympics would be because "some wish to remove a direct competitor and some find it beneficial to damage the country's image", Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has reportedly said.
Mutko told the sports agency R-Sport that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency would be able to prove it acted in line with the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Russia's athletics federation has been provisionally suspended from competition following revelations of widespread, state-sponsored doping.
ITV News Sports Editor Steve Scott explains why Russian athletes are likely to compete in next year's Olympics.
Russia should be banned from athletics competition following "widespread and , the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has said.