IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper announced on Sunday 15 October at the opening of the 141st Session in Mumbai that 12 IOC members would not be travelling to India to attend the annual meeting in person. They include the two representatives of Russia. Yelena Isinbayeva (photo above) and Shamil Tarpishev were among those absent from the session. No surprise there. The list also includes several IOC members on the Athletes’ Commission, including France’s Martin Fourcade, Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, Spain’s Pau Gasol and Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter. Sheikh Tamin Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, is also absent from the session, as is Saudi princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s current ambassador to the United States.
